The Saviour of Olympus
by Dr. Jaffacake
Summary: 'I began running towards Percy, overwhelmed at the fact that he had survived Tartarus when something stopped me cold in my tracks. Where was Annabeth? I couldn't see her anywhere in or around the doors.' Percy dove into Tartarus to save Annabeth, but what if she didn't make it back out? AU Begins during House of Hades.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I own nothing, all Rick's :)**

Chapter 1

Percy's POV

I crouched next to Annabeth as we observed the frail and sobbing woman in front of us. She looked awful, and that was a lot considering. I had seen some pretty scarring things. We had been stumbling through Tartarus for gods knows how long and our bodies were starting to fail. Our skin had turned an ugly shade of red and blisters were forming over both of our bodies because of the constant heat of Tartarus. Both Annabeth and I were coated from head to toe in a mix of dirt, blood and monster dust, our clothes had long since been torn to shreds.

The water from the Phlegethon had been helping to keep us alive, helping us to breathe the toxic air and had healed most of our major injuries to the point where they were only minor and not life threatening. Being as helpful as it was at keeping us alive, the fire water did nothing to quench my thirst or hunger and we hadn't eaten a real meal since we fell into this forsaken place.

My stomach rumbled at the thought of food, and Annabeth shot me a look. She turned back to the woman in front of us, she had her back to us and was perched on a small rock. She was visibly shaking and her crying could be heard for some distance. We were crouching behind some small boulders, I could make out an assortment of black trees about 100 feet behind us through the haze of red mist, but other than that, I couldn't make out any specific landmarks.

"What do we do?" Annabeth whispered to me.

"I don't know? Go see what's wrong." I whispered back with a shrug

She glared at me for a few seconds.

"Wait? You're being serious?" she asked. Before letting out a sigh and taking a nervous glance at the woman.

"I'd happily avoid her, but we need directions. We will never find our way out, and since Bob left us, we have to try." I concluded, looking directly into her beautiful grey eyes.

I felt bad about Bob. I had just abandoned him to Hades. Truthfully, I didn't know what would happen, but I guess being a janitor isn't so bad. It is certainly better than the fields of punishment or killing him and returning him to Tartarus in his state. I still could have made time to visit him though. I wasn't a good friend to Bob.

She huffed out a sigh. Looking back over to the woman.

"Fine but be on guard, knowing our luck, this won't end well." she stated with affirmation in her voice. It was true, our luck just seemed to be getting worse and worse. 5 years fighting the titans, only for a couple of months in peace before getting thrust back into another war. Not to mention my memories being stolen for several months. Several months I could have spent with Annabeth, trying to live a normal life. Curse the Fates for making my life hell. I was just about done with them. I looked at Annabeth before pulling Riptide from my pocket and giving her a slight nod. I internally sighed, this woman is probably crying because she's sat in literal hell. I cracked a grin at that thought and continued to follow Annabeth forward till we were about 10 feet from the woman.

The woman suddenly straightened her back and the crying ceased, she turned to look at us and I had to hold back a grimace. Her face was worse than I could have imagined. She had sunken eyes that were puffy and ringed in purple from constant crying, her skin was grey and dry, it looked like it could peel off at any moment. She had a steady stream of tears rolling down her face that converged on her chin before dripping off. Her hair was thin and stringy and clumped up. She was wearing thin grey rags around her frail body that looked to offer no protection from the elements. She looked at the both of us and narrowed her eyes.

"Demi-gods!?" She half questioned and half stated as if she wasn't that sure herself.

"Who are you?" Annabeth spoke up with a little quiver in her voice.

"Akhlys, Goddess of Misery." she stated bluntly, looking almost insulted that she hadn't been recognised. Misery? Oh crap!I thought as I peeked at Annabeth who turned to me with a little worry in her eyes.

"Demi-gods in Tartarus, how interesting..." she mused looking at us with a devilish smile. "I presume you are here for my Death Mist" she questioned. Death mist? I was about to speak up, but Annabeth beat me to it.

"Death Mist?" she looked at Akhlys with a confused tone.

"My Death Mist… it allows the wearer to move unseen to those who do not know they are there." she said incredulously. "Are you telling me you've never heard of my Death Mist?" she asked standing from her perch, a frown adorning her face.

"No ma'am I'm afraid we haven't." Annabeth replied. Hides the wearer?I thought with shock.

"We were jus.." Annabeth started

"Wait!" I cut in. Annabeth gave me a look of annoyance which I ignored. "Are you saying this _Death Mist_ will hide us from monsters?" I asked, with a little more confidence. My mind racing at the thought of crossing Tartarus without any monsters attacking us. It would make the experience more bareable and may give us a slight chance of survival. Annabeth's face morphed from one of annoyance to one of hope at the thought.

"Yes, I guess it could do that..." she announced. "We'll take two orders of that then please." I interjected almost immediately with a twinge of hope

"And why should I give it to you?" she sneered back at me. My heart faltered, duh, why would she just give it to us? I said something clever like "Uhhhhhhhhhhh?" as I turned to look at Annabeth.

Her brows were furrowed and she looked to be contemplating a thought, her face was devoid of all emotions. Suddenly her face lit up "If we escape Tartarus, and trap all these monsters behind, think of all the _misery_ we will create." she hoped with raised eyebrows. It was a long shot. Akhlys raised her eyebrows and looked to be pondering. She looked at Annabeth, then back at me, then at Annabeth again.

"Hmmmmmmmm…" She mused before beckoning us closer. "I will grant you the Death Mist." she stated pointedly.

Annabeth paled a bit. I had the same thought, this was way too easy. What's the catch? Maybe there isn't one and we would finally get a break for once. We both slowly approached until we were within arm's reach of the Goddess. She eyed us both before beginning to chant in ancient Greek.

After about 30 seconds she waved her hands in front of our faces. I instantly felt nauseous, like my entire body had been emptied. I looked down and gasped. My body was gone! Well it wasn't gone, gone. But it was close to transparent, I could only just see the outline of my body with a blur of grey between. I could almost clearly see the floor beneath me. I turned to look at Annabeth and jumped back. She looked dead. I mean literally dead. Where her eyes were supposed to be were just empty sockets. Her beautiful California tan had disappeared and her skin was grey and flaking off. Her gorgeous blonde princess curls had turn grey and stringy. She was as transparent as I was and I could only just make out the details on her face. She looked at me and shrieked. That made me wonder what I looked like. She was probably seeing an awful version of myself.

"P…Per…Percy…" she stammered "Your face."

"I know." I said turning back to Akhlys with a grim expression. "Thank you. We need to get to the Doors of Death. Do you know where they are?" She was intently watching us with a wide grin on her face before she began cackling to herself.

"Foolish Demi-gods" she screamed as claws grew from her fingernails "Did you really think I would let you leave here alive?" I stared at her, boiling with rage. "You tricked us!" I shouted back uncapping Riptide from its pen form. As I did it fell through my grasp like I was made of... _mist_. I stared at the now 3-foot-long bronze sword laying on the floor in shock. I'm made of mist, of course I can't touch anything. I cursed looking back up at Akhlys. She was gleaming triumphantly at us as she moved towards us. Wouldn't she just pass straight through us if she attacked, I thought.

"Oh, how wrong you are young one." she howled as if she had read my mind. before reaching out and grabbing my wrist. Annabeth was still staring in shock at her see through hands. "Percy, my hands.." She stuttered out. A look of horror upon her face.

"Now I shall show you true misery." Akhlys screamed with glee. As she did, the forest behind us began to roar with sound. I tried to wrench myself free of the crazed Goddess who was now laughing maniacally. Seriously? Five minutes ago, she was crying her eyes out and looked like she needed a hug.

"Are you bi-polar?" is all I could blurt out. Curse my ADHD. She stopped her hysterics, looking at me with absolute loathing before raking her claws down my arm. I screamed out in pain and ripped myself free, falling to the floor. I could feel blood leaking down my arm. The sound of me screaming out in pain seemed to snap Annabeth out of her daze as she shouted out my name. She tried to run towards me, but It appeared as if she was running through jelly.

"Ha! Having trouble with your new form?" Akhlys shrieked triumphantly. As she did the forests behind us exploded, around 30 flying creatures were barrelling towards us. 'New form'I thought. I looked down at my ghostly hands and suddenly had a revelation. I placed my hand around the grip of riptide, focusing on my fingers. I felt a familiar tugging sensation in my gut, curling my fingers around and gripping the sword. I smirked to myself, expanding the feeling to cover my entire body. I used the water within my body to propel my movements, and shot up faster than I could think. Akhlys stepped back in surprise with wide eyes.

"H..How?" Akhlys stammered. I smirked at her brandishing Riptide. Akhlys backed up a few feet. My arm burned with pain as I took a test swing with my sword. I ignored the pain, grinning. It moved faster than I had ever moved it before.

I heard a screech behind me, I turned to see a bat-like creature with leathery wings and a demonic hag face a few feet away from me. At first, I thought it was a Fury, they looked the exact same as these things. But there were only 3 furies? I instinctively raised riptide. It sliced clean through her body, severing her wing off. She exploded into golden dust. As she died, I felt as if a sword had just been rammed through my gut. I hunched over in pain with wide eyes.

" _We are the Arai!"_ they all screeched in raspy unison.

"The Curses!" Annabeth screamed out.

" _Yes mortal! Now Perseus Jackson, we have many curses to share with you!"_ They screeched as they charged forward. Every time one came close to either Annabeth or I, I would cut it down, and every time I did I felt another searing pain somewhere on my body. I slashed another _arai_ out of the sky, and as it exploded into dust I felt as if my throat had just been slit. I dropped to one knee as I coughed a familiar sticky red liquid out onto the floor. "Don't kill them." Annabeth screamed as she stood above me defiantly, but to no avail. She could only just move and hold her dagger, barely defending the both of us. One of the _aria_ got within her guard and raked her down her shoulder opening a nasty gash. She screamed out in pain and instinctively severed the creatures head from its shoulders. As she did, she dropped her dagger and stumbled forward into the swirling mess of hag ladies. Surprisingly they let her through.

"Percy!?" She called out turning around with pure white eyes.

"PERCY!?" She screamed out, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Annabeth, I'm coming" I shouted back to her as she stumbled further away from me. The Arai weren't attacking her but letting her stumble further and further away. I coughed up another lump of blood "PERCY! WHERE ARE YOU!?" She cried out. I leapt up, slashing through another and rushing forward.

Iapetus POV (Bob)

I watched on as Percy and Annabeth began talking to Akhlys. I agreed that it was there only chance of escaping, if being slim to none. I was considering continuing to help the two, but finding out about my past from Percy, how he pushed me into the Lethe and wiped my memory kept me. He was supposed to be my friend. That's what he said when I woke up. But now I know we were originally enemies. I am Iapetus, Titan of the West.

I looked back at Percy to see them become surrounded in mist. I smiled. At least they were going to make it out of Tartarus, the deserved as much, nobody should be down here.

I looked down at my hands and my mind began to wander. My memories were slowly coming back to me, fractured and broken apart but still very real. I remember why they called me 'The Piercer', I wasn't a good person, beyond any doubt. I was not as horrible as someone like Kronos who tortured for his own amusement, but I had still committed many atrocities. I began thinking about the world above, the stars, the sun and moon. I smiled at the thought of it, wishing I could be up there. I thought about the peaceful Titans, Rhea, Calypso, Leto and the others. They deserved better than the punishments they received. I wished to see my granddaughter again, she was always so peaceful, like Hestia, just because she was Atlas's daughter she was cursed, forced onto that island. She didn't even fight back!

I was torn from my thoughts as I heard a girl scream out. I turned to see Annabeth walking, arms raised through the _Arai_! I was in shock the two could fight in this form, I didn't even expect them to be able to walk properly. Percy was hacking and slashing his way towards her, trying his best to block and knock out the A _rai_. Every now and again, he couldn't help but kill one and would receive a deadly blow. I could see cuts appearing across his chest, slashes appearing on his sides, but he continued forward trying to get to her as she slowly stumbled further away from him.

I was curious as to why the A _rai_ were not attacking her. I looked ahead of her to see something that made my blood run cold. Around twenty feet in front of Annabeth was an enormous Cliffside surrounded by an inky blackness. It stretched both ways as far as the eye could see, which isn't very far in Tartarus. I knew that Perseus had wronged me, but nobody deserved that fate, especially not them. They fought for what was right, family and friends. I thought of Calypso. I am not Iapetus, I am Bob. With that thought I charged forward to aid Perseus.

Percy POV

I slashed through another hag and the entire right side of my chest erupt in pain, I placed my left hand to the now massive cut on my side to try and lessen the pain as I parried another sending her flying into the dirt behind me. I turned and blocked another, smacking the hilt of my sword into her nose, she wailed and crumpled to the floor. I stepped over her to fight off another A _rai_ when my back suddenly exploded in pain, I turned to see Akhlys with blood-soaked claws grinning down as I fell to my knees.

"Annabeth.." I croaked. This is it, I thought. Tears filled my eyes and blood dripped down into my vision from a wound on my forehead. I prayed to every god possible to help. I looked up to see Annabeth stumbling towards a large cliff edge, my eyes widened I didn't know how far down it was. I didn't care if it killed me, Annabeth would get out of Tartarus. I swung in a wide arc as monsters backed up to escape the deadly metal and surged forward to help her.

She was 10 feet away from the edge, furiously reaching out for something to hold on to calling out to me to help her. I dismembered the last A _rai_ between us uncaring of the pain it would inflict on me before breaking into a mad sprint. I felt as if I had had a spear rammed through my leg, my wounds burned and I was limping but moving as fast as I could. I was five meters away and getting closer. Three meters away. Suddenly Annabeth slipped off the edge. I dived out ignoring all pain in my body and reached for her hand. Annabeth's hand slipped through mine as if it was made of mist before she fell, screaming, into the abyss below.

3rd person POV

"ANNABETH!" Percy screamed as hard as he could.

Nothing.

The remaining A _rai_ cackled with glee as they screamed "She has fallen into the void, to the father below." Percy visibly tensed as they said that. Even he knew what it meant. The world around them began to shake and the A _rai_ quickly stopped their howls of delight. They turned in horror as they saw Percy, still kneeling staring into the void begin to glow with rage. An ethereal sea green light began to emanate from his body. It began to get brighter and more violent as Percy began to shake. Suddenly Akhlys and the A _rai_ began to scream and wail in fear, falling to the floor, their bodies writhing in pain. Percy stood, turning from his spot at the edge of the cliff shaking with rage. His eyes shone with destructive power, his face utter desolation as a flash of terror washed over the monsters. The light began to glow brighter and brighter as they screamed in pure agony. When it became too bright for anyone to see the world exploded outwards from Percy's body and the A _rai_ and Akhlys were literally ripped into pieces. The world stopped shaking and the light instantly shut off as Percy's knees buckled and he collapsed threatening to fall into the void below.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Percy POV

Pain. Is probably the first word I'd use describe what I was feeling. At that moment, the memories came flooding back in and I shook with desperation; I was in Tartarus, I had dived in after Annabeth, when she was dragged in by the stupid spider

Annabeth...

The name left the residual effect of an artillery cannon going off in my head. Grief began to overwhelm me. She fell into the void. Into the nothingness. She was gone... dead.

I choked back a silent sob. I replayed the scene, over and over in my mind. If I was but a little faster, maybe I could have saved her. I thought of her hand, slipping through my own. Her pure white eyes. I internally screamed at the Fates, sending every known curse at them. Why did they have to take Annabeth? Why did she have to die? I was supposed to spend my life with her.

I cried for what seemed like hours. Replaying the scene over and over in my head, blaming myself for letting her fall. Not being strong enough to save her. Grief washed through my body as I silently cried.

Eventually I was broken from my grief by whispering voices. Where am I? Am I still alive? I must be, I'm in pain. Dead people don't feel pain. My body felt like it was made of lead. I couldn't even open my eye lids. I wondered how I hadn't bled out from all the injuries I had suffered as a result of the fight with the _Arai_.

I listened closer trying to hear the voices.

"I know that Damasen, but you should have seen it." The first voice said, it was familiar yet I couldn't place it. "The boy literally ripped them apart, he separated the water from within their own blood. He killed a Goddess" He stated in shock and awe. My mind was racing, were they talking about me? I don't remember anything like that happening. All I could remember was Annabeth falling into the trench. After that it was all just hazy red. I suddenly felt a searing pain in the front of my head like a hot spike being hammered into my brain as I tried to remember the events of the battle.

"Interesting.." a deep, coarse voice stated, which I could only assume was this 'Damasen' character. "When she fell…" I choked back a sob at the thought of Annabeth. "He unleashed so much raw power that he shook Tartarus." the first voice said in a more urgent tone.

Shook Tartarus!?

WHAT?

I knew I had earth shaker powers but I was still new to them, and had only recently started to learn how to use them. I could only just summon a quake powerful enough to knock over enemies. But they're saying I shook Tartarus!

"That was him!?" Damasen said in an unsettled tone. "Iapetus, that quake has stirred some things I would have thought never to be seen again." The first voice was Bob? And if something was stirring that could unsettle these two like this, it must be bad. Who knows what horrors could crawl out of the depths of Tartarus?

"I know Damasen, but you need to believe me. This boy could be the one! If he has enough power to shake the ' _prison'_ then he certainly has enough power to stop _ **him.**_ " Iapetus said in a darker tone. Prison? I thought. What prison? Isn't Tartarus itself a prison. And who was this mysterious figure they spoke of? They said _'him_ ' as if it was worse than Gaia rising. What could be worse than that? I pondered the thought as the two sat in silence. I was broken from thought when Damasen spoke up again.

"I will see for myself when he wakes, he needs to know about the girl." Damasen said with finality, his voice hoarse but unreadable.

Annabeth… I thought, I let out another sob, this one however had sound to it. The two instantly stopped their conversation and moved towards me, I could hear their footsteps getting closer.

"Perseus…?" Bob said in a gentle tone as I tried to open my eyes. They felt as if they had been glued shut. Eventually with enough concentration my eyes fluttered open, stinging with tears and the harsh light of the environment.

I looked around, barely being able to move my head. I was in a hut, made of some type of leather with large bones making up the supports of the structure. There was a roaring fire in the middle of the room, that was producing a white odourless smoke that billowed up through a hole in the roof. There was a cooking pot placed over the fire on a crude stand, it was made from a large hollowed out skull. Something was bubbling in the makeshift pot. Nasty, who the heck would want to cook something inside someone else's skull? There was a tanning rack made of wood and bone on one side of the room, meat was drying on it. The meat was a horrible brown/red colour and looked barely edible. Next to the meat were large strips of leather hung up and drying on the rack. There were two types of leather, one was a brown colour like normal leather, the other was a dappled green and yellow colour. I was rather curious as to where leather like that had come from. Across the room there were a few simple shelves made from old driftwood, they were decorated with various pots of herbs and ingredients of many different colours and textures, some a fine powder others full of glowing mushrooms and leaves. As well as the ingredients, there were some bowls and cutlery in various sizes. Next to the shelves stood a simple table and stool. The table had some crude tools on it. I looked down towards my body. I was laying on a massive bed, about 15 feet long and 5 or 6 feet wide. It was made of wood and bone, same as the rest of the hut. I was on top of a fur blanket. My t-shirt and jeans were ripped apart badly. My skin was a worrying shade of red.

I was torn from thought by Bob who repeated my name. I looked towards the two figures. The first was Bob who was kneeling at my side, still wearing his janitor clothes. His squirt bottle hanging from his belt along with a set of keys. He was looking down at me with concerned look on his face his eyebrows furrowed.

I drew my attention to the larger figure standing behind Bob and sucked in a gasp. Behind Bob was a giant! He was about 20 feet tall, same as most giants. His skin was a cherry red colour, a beard supported his face and was the colour of rust. His hair was the same colour as his beard and was braided with swamp flowers and small tufts of grass. His scaly dragon legs were also the same rust colour as his beard and hair. He was wearing a simple leather tunic made of the strange green and yellow leather. He was gazing down at me, his eyes a piercing red colour, holding no anger or hatred towards me. which was a surprise, seeing as I had already taken part in the deaths of many of his brothers.

"B… Bob?" I croaked out a barely audible whisper. Turning my head back to my supposed friend. I didn't know if we were still friends after what I had done. I had revealed his past to him. From the moment he woke from the Lethe I had lied to him, told him we were friends and without another thought gave him over to Hades who used him as a janitor.

"Yes. It is me." He said. I turned to look at the giant behind Bob. He was standing there, his arms crossed over his chest observing me as if I was a new recruit in an army, looking for any sign of weakness.

"What happened?" I choked out. My chest felt like there was a hot rod searing its way into my lungs. It burnt like hades. And was almost as bad as the burning of the Styx. Almost.

I was directing my question at Bob though I was still staring at Damasen not once taking my eyes off the giant for fear he would attack. Bob was about to speak up but the giant beat him to it, assuming the question was directed at him.

"You unleashed so much power that you almost blew yourself into oblivion alongside that girl." he grunted out, a twinge of annoyance in his rough voice. I felt anger build up inside of me, I had just lost Annabeth and now some giant was infront of me patronising me. Reminding me that I hadn't done enough to save her. I wanted to shut him up. I looked at the pot of boiling broth behind him. I tried to take control of the water and send it flying into the back of his head. The second I felt the tugging sensation in my gut my whole body erupted in pain. I felt as if my skin was beginning to burn away. The water continued bubbling in the pot. Not a droplet moved.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you." the giant declared coldly. He passed Bob a small bowl of a swirling black liquid from the table. As I continued writhing in pain, the burning sensation closing in around my heart. I screamed out in pain as Bob proceeded to pour the liquid into my mouth. It tasted awful, like drinking year old toilet water that had been left in a jar to ferment. I spluttered and gasped for air trying to rid my mouth of the taste. My body stopped convulsing but it still wouldn't obey me.

"What do you mean?" I questioned with a grimace after a few moments of trying to catch my breath. I narrowed my eyes at the giant as he stepped closer to the bed. "I know you have little reason to trust me or my kind young one. But I urge you to heed my warning." he said with a little authority in his voice. I was shocked at the response he gave. Trust a giant? I had been fighting Titans and Giants for the past 6 years. I had lost some of my best friends because of them. And here I'm sat in the worst place imaginable. With two of my 'enemies' asking me to trust them.

"At the edge of the cliff you used more power than we both thought imaginable for a mortal." He said gesturing towards Bob. "You almost burned your body up from the overload of power. I guess you could say it almost had the same effect as eating too much of that nectar and ambrosia." he observed with a little awe in his voice. He looked surprised that I was still alive, and even more surprised that I was having a coherent conversation with him. I looked at him with shock. I turned to Bob who gave a slight nod confirming what the giant had already said. My jaw dropped and hung open as I looked between them. I almost couldn't believe what they were saying, but how my body felt, I couldn't deny what they had said.

"How am I alive then? Why am I here?" I demanded. As my anger subsided a little. Truly I was scared, I was completely immobile, sat in a hostile environment. Wow did I actually just call Tartarus 'hostile'? Way to down play it me, seeing as the air is literally poisonous and every step you take could kill you. I was sat in the worst place conceivable and couldn't defend myself if they decided I had outstayed my welcome and tried to kill me. I had put up a barrier of anger to not look weak, but it really didn't help my position.

"Iapetus here brought you to me after your display of power." he said nodding towards the 12-foot-tall titan kneeling next to me. Iapetus? Damasen said it as if he hadn't bathed in the Lethe. He remembers his old self, I thought, my eyes widening. "Bob." Iapetus chimed in. "I am no longer Iapetus. Percy here gave me a new path… A chance to change my fate. I remember my old life and what I was. I intend to not waste this opportunity." he said to Damasen with a little harshness in his voice before directing a smile at me. I felt as if a weight had just been lifted off my shoulders as I looked at bob with gratitude, returning a smile. The giant watched the interaction between us turning to look at Bob with raised eyebrows before turning back to look at me.

"As to how you are alive; We both have no idea…" he said bluntly. I stared at him for a few moments not really comprehending what he had just said. Was I even supposed to still be alive? How had I conjured that much power and survived it? Even they didn't know. A few moments of silence passed before I spoke up. "Who are you?" I asked the giant, full well knowing his name. I was curious as to how he would respond and if he would lie to me. It would show his true intentions.

"I am Damasen, bane of Ares." Bane to the God of War? Uh oh. Is all I could think as I looked upon him with a little fear and awe. How much power must he possess to be the bane of war? I looked up and down his figure. That explains the red, its Ares favourite colour too. But the flowers in his hair? I just ended up even more confused than I had originally started. Apparently picking up on my fear Damasen spoke "Do not worry demi-god, I am not going to harm you, I would have already done so whilst you slept if I had wanted." he said with a reassuring tone. That was true, I had been asleep for gods know how long, and was entirely vulnerable discounting Bob who was still kneeling at my side. He could have killed me at any point. I was still unsure of what he actually wanted from me though.

"Why help me then?" I blurted out confused. Bob gave me a slight nudge on the arm and shook his head, telling me it was a sore subject. Damasen just burst out laughing. "Do not worry Iape… Bob. His curiosity is just getting the better of him." Bob looked at Damasen with raised eyebrows before sighing.

"You see young one, I was born to oppose Ares, he is the God of War, and that by its very nature makes me peaceful. I wanted no part in the fighting of the first Giant war, choosing to abstain from the conflict. When Gaia saw this, she was outraged and cast me down to Tartarus for the rest of my days. I have lived down here since. I have no love for my mother. She is cruel and will destroy the world above, ridding it of all life. That would serve to benefit no-one and is the reason I am helping you now."

I stared in absolute shock at him. He'd been down here since the first Giant War thousands of years ago, because he didn't want to fight. My mind wandered to that of the peaceful titans, who for their part wanted nothing to do with the war. They were still persecuted by the gods for being related to the other titans. That in itself was ridiculous, because half the council are children of the titans. Now here I learned that there were the same patterns in the giants too. Damasen was also punished for being peaceful.

"I'm sorry to hear that" is all I could mutter out. As I turned to look away from him. A twinge of guilt riding on my shoulders. He bellowed another round of laughter to my confusion.

"Why apologise? Is it your fault I am here?" he questioned. I shook my head. "I should be the one apologising to you, if not for my mother you would not be down here." being the bane of Ares I expected Damasen to be a meat head like Ares. But he was actually clever unlike his counter-part. his argument had no flaw. He was right, I shouldn't feel guilty for something that was completely out of my control.

I began to sit up, resting my back against the headboard of the bed. Every movement I made felt like my bones were being ground into dust, but with help from Bob I was eventually sat upright. My forehead was beaded with sweat. I shrugged "She's my great grandmother, crazy just seems to run in the family" Damasen began to laugh as he made his way over to the pot.

Even Bob cracked a smile as Damasen brought over a bowl of stew and a spoon. I looked down incredulously at the mushy brown stew in the bowl. I held back a gag. It looked absolutely disgusting.

"Now demi-god.." he said. "Percy" I threw abruptly, before he could say another word. He looked at me before cracking a smile.

"Well then Percy… I have told you my story. If you would do me the honour, Bob here has already told me of your story. Well the parts he knows. I would like to hear it from you however. From the beginning, if you would." He pulled up a simple stool for Bob and handed him a bowl of stew before grabbing one for himself and sitting on the floor next to the bed. He began eating and looking at me expectantly. I looked down at my stew before slowly taking a bite of the strange meat. It tasted nothing like it looked. My mouth exploding with flavour and gratitude.

All I had had recently was fire water, which tasted like burning oil and didn't sit well in the stomach. This was actual solid food. I smiled gratefully at Damasen who smiled back before wolfing down the stew. Once I had finished eating I felt sated and a smile tugged on my lips. "So… Percy?" Damsen said after taking my bowl. He still wanted to hear my story, and apparently from the look Bob was giving me, so did he.

I looked at him hesitantly before thinking back to when I was 12 at Yancy Academy. Grover at school running for enchiladas in the cafeteria, Mr. Brunner's history lessons. I sighed at the thought of how easy life was back then.

Mr. Brunner who I later found out to be Chiron, the second most fatherly figure in my life. I thought about how much knowledge the old horse must possess after thousands of years of training heroes. My mind wandered to the thought of camp and my heart faltered. Did they know where I was? What had happened? The Romans were marching on my home and I'm sat in Tartarus with a peaceful giant and a friendly titan, my brain was about to explode from the weirdness of it all.

I continued to think about my friends back at camp; Katie, Clarisse, Chris, the Stolls, Pollux, Will. All the campers that had fought with me through countless battles. The Romans were marching there to kill them, led by a crazed and power-hungry augur. My friends had already had enough of fighting and war. Back in the Titan war we all lost more friends and family than we would like to admit.

Those guys were my heroes. Not the ones from legend that I had learned about. But my friends. The ones who willingly gave their live for us. The ones who are still alive, veterans of multiple conflicts and who continue to fight every day, without a moment of peace, trying to protect each other and their loved ones. I would die for any of them. I thought back to Annabeth who was with me every step of the way, through thick and thin. From my first quest, till her last. Grief racked my body and tears silently fell from my eyes. I looked up at Bob and Damasen who had their eyebrows furrowed and looks of concern on their faces. I smiled. "It all started 6 years ago, when my maths teacher tried to kill me…"

I told them both my story, every quest, every feeling, every heartache. I told them of my quest for the lightning bolt, and how I was almost dragged into Tartarus. Damasen looked at me with an impressed look on his face when I told him about my fight against Ares on the beach.

I told them of the Sea of Monsters where I ventured through the most terrifying waters to save Grover, my best friend, from a giant cyclops and save the camp with the fleece. The quest for Artemis and Annabeth's survival, how I held the sky for them, pointing to my grey streak of hair. Zoë and Bianca's sacrifice to ensure the survival of the rest of us. I spoke of Zoë as a friend and how from the first moment of the quest she knew it would be her end. But she faced it with true courage and died for her sister and friend. Bob tensed up at that, though I wasn't sure why.

I spoke of the quest into the labyrinth to find Daedalus, all of us cracking up at how I blew up Mount St Helens and released Typhon by 'accident'. When I spoke of how I washed up on Calypso's island, Bob wanted to know every detail about how she was. I couldn't help but ask why he was so interested in her. He informed me that Atlas was his son. After putting two and two together I realised with a twinge of guilt that Calypso was his granddaughter, as was Zoë. I then told them of the quest into the Labyrinth to find Daedalus. I told them about my battle with Antaeus and how I strung him up with chains in his own arena. I next went on to the battle at Zeus's fist and the many hero's that fell defending the camp from the hundreds of monsters. I spoke of people like Lee Fletcher and Casper son of Dionysus who gave their lives defending their friends and siblings.

I went on to describe the events of the war, Beckendorf giving his life in an explosion trying to prevent the war from ever starting. Silena Beauregard redeeming herself for being a traitor, and giving her own life to get us the desperate reinforcements we so badly needed. Michael Yew standing tall with me on the bridge against Kronos. I described all the sacrifices and all the hero's that fell defending each other all the way up to my decision to give Luke Annabeth's knife, explaining the promise he made to her when she was 7, and watching as he gave his own life to stop Kronos, hoping to redeem himself for his actions. Which he did in all our eyes, even the gods. I told them of the few months of peace after the war. Where friends and family grieved for their lost ones, and how new demi-gods would arrive everyday thanks to my wish. Bob smiled from ear to ear as I told him about how I wanted the peaceful Titans to be freed. They were shocked when I told them I had turned down godhood for the good of the demi-gods and secretly at the time Annabeth.

I went on to explain about my memories being wiped and my life in New Rome and the Legion, how I was used as a bridge to try and get the camps to come together. I told them about the quest to free death. How we went North to Alaska to face Alcyoneus. I told them of my friendship with Frank and Hazel who looked past the façade of me being Greek and accepted me as a friend, even though I was supposed to be the 'enemy'.

I felt ashamed that I hadn't really thought about them much since I fell into Tartarus. I explained of Franks curse and how he was willing to burn up his life to save the rest of us and Camp Jupiter. I recounted once we had arrived at Camp Jupiter, aiding in the battle and my fight with Polybotes turning the battle in favour of the Romans. And how afterwards I was raised on a shield and became Praetor of the Legion.

I then described the events of the quest of the 7 as we made our way to the ancient lands, how we had each other's backs the entire way, and bonded closer than siblings. We were family in all but blood, closer in fact. I described the events of Rome, how Annabeth left with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck on a Vespa to follow her own solo quest, whilst we battled Otis and Ephialtes in the coliseum to save Nico. How we rescued the Athena Parthenos from Arachne's lair. I told them how I dived in to Tartarus to save Annabeth. And finally, the events following up to her death and consequently my being here. I was saddened at the thought. I told them how Annabeth is probably in Elysium right now with Luke and Beckendorf and all our other friends who died in the war, how she was finally at peace. I saw Damasen tense up whilst bobs shoulders slumped. They both had a look of grief across their faces.

"What? What's wrong, what happened?" I pleaded to the both of them. They both looked at each other and an understanding passed between them.

"Percy.." Bob said in a very gentle tone. "I'm sorry but Annabeth isn't in Elysium" He dropped his eyes from me not being able to look up. I sat up from my slumped position "What do you mean. She fought harder than the rest of us, she's a hero! Why would she not be in Elysium?" I shouted in anger and confusion.

"She isn't in Elysium because of what happened" Damasen spoke up, drawing my gaze from Bob.

"What do you mean?" I asked, tears building up in my eyes. She deserved to be there with her friends.

"She fell into the void. It is the same as fading... Her soul will not return to the underworld. It will just cease to exist" Damasen whispered softly to me.

My heart stopped in my chest as realisation dawned. The flood gates opened and the tears rolled out as grief and sadness racked my body. I looked over to Bob for some hope that it wasn't true, but all I could see was a silent tear roll down his cheek. I collapsed back onto the bed and cried. Damasen led Bob away from me and out of the hut, as I continued to sob.

-Line Break-

I don't know when I passed out from exhaustion, but I found myself in a completely white space. I couldn't see anything other than white. I was sat on a simple white chair. I looked around for some sign of life but there was nothing. Suddenly the air before me shimmered and an entity stepped into existence. Its skin was pure black and had small dots of white decorating its entire body. It stood at about 8 feet tall, the figure itself being humanoid and had the body of a female. It had no nose and no mouth and deep purple eyes that bore into me and shone with power. I sat in awe of the being before me.

" _Hello Perseus..."_ A feminine voice sounded, emanating from the being. All I could do is stare up into her swirling purple eyes. The power rolling off the being was like nothing I had ever felt before. Even in the presence of the entire Olympian council.

"W…Wha...Who..?" Is all I could stutter out. The being before me threw her head back and laughed. " _I should have guessed I would receive a reaction like this."_ she said with amusement in her voice. " _After all, you are the first being in existence to ever look upon me."_ What? Who was this, I was racking my brain running through every name I could think of but kept turning up blank. I was the first being ever to see this woman? Who was she? As she stood before me I sat in silence on the white chair re-observing her body. it was pitch black and decorated with tiny dots of white. I kept flinching at the thought of Krios and his constellations which her body reminded me of. Stars. Realisation hit me like a train. I instantly dropped from the chair to one knee and bowed my head as low as possible.

"Lady Chaos." I stammered. I was beyond confused and in awe that the creator of the universe was in front of me. Annabeth had taught me the extents of the Greek pantheon, going into some detail about the mysteries of the oldest beings, and how the universe came to be. Nobody even knew if Chaos truly existed as a living entity. And the fact that _she_ is, stood before me was incomprehensible. She just started laughing again, clutching her stomach. My cheeks turned a shade of crimson. Why was she laughing? She could end my life with a thought. She was the most powerful being in the universe, is it not right to bow?

" _Perseus, why are you bowing?_ She questioned after she eventually stopped laughing and pulled herself back together. I looked up confused as those deep purple eyes bore into mine.

"Be… because. Because!" she looked at me and furrowed her eyebrows, or well where her eyebrows were supposed to be, as if I had lost my mind. I probably had lost my mind, Tartarus had taken a toll on me and this is probably just some crazy dream, the creator of the universe wouldn't be stood in front of me. She would be somewhere else, if _she_ was even real.

" _Oh I assure you Perseus I am stood infront of you, and I am in fact real."_ Oh fuck. Is all I could think.

" _Oh fuck indeed…"_ she affirmed. " _Now stand up."_ I looked at her with a puzzled expression before slowly rising to my feet. I continued to look up at her face flinching when my eyes met hers. _Lady_ Chaos! I screamed internally still in shock. I thought Chaos was the father of creation. How was he a she? Then again being the most powerful being in existence, creating the universe and everything in it, a simple gender switch was easily plausible.

" _Do you have a question you would like to ask?_ " she commented with a 'smirk' breaking me from my line of thought. I wanted to ask why she was here before me? Why am I the only being to ever speak to her? And what she wanted from me.

"Aren't you supposed to be a dude?" is all I could blurt out. She cocked her head at me. I mentally kicked myself, I really was a Seaweed Brain. She began another round of hysterics before wiping a pure white tear from her eye.

" _You really are everything I had hoped you would be…"_ she stated in light tone. " _Brave, courageous, kind and faithful. You are humble and have no desire for power or fame yet it is thrust upon you at every point. You are never arrogant and you wear your heart on your sleeve. You care deeply for your friends and family and are selfless. Most of all you are loyal."_ I didn't think my eyes could widen anymore but they really did. I was trembling in fear, awe and shock. The creator of the universe complimented me? what kind of sick joke is this? 'What is going on' Is all I could scream at myself.

" _Perseus, you stand defiant against beings greater than yourself, for the benefit of your loved ones... You are truly incorruptible."_ she stated at me, her eyes projecting a warm feeling into my system. A feeling I hadn't felt for a long time. Hope. I was still just stood in silence as bombshell after bombshell was dropped.

" _In any case, I have a gift for you. It does not contain any literal power, which most people would expect a gift from me to contain. No, this gift only someone like you would appreciate."_ She held out her hand and a picture materialised in it. She handed me the picture and it took me a moment to register what I was seeing. The photograph was one I had never seen before and made me catch my breath. It was a picture of a familiar girl, wearing Black combat boots, denim shorts and an orange camp t-shirt. Her California tan masking her flawless body, her mesmerising princess curls falling around her shoulders perfectly. Her gorgeous grey eyes staring right back at me, with a small smile gracing her lips. Tears erupted from my eyes as I continued to stare back at the other half of my soul.

In the bottom corner of the photograph was some small writing that read:

 _Forever yours Seaweed Brain,_

 _Your wise girl._

 _Annabeth X_

I looked up at Chaos with a smile of absolute gratitude tears leaking from my eyes. She was looking down at me sadly. She placed a hand on my shoulder, and to both of our surprise, I pulled her into a hug.

" _Never change Percy."_ she said with a twinge of guilt pulling away from the hug as tears rolled down my cheeks. " _Something is about to happen that nobody could predict. Know that I will be rooting for you."_ and with that she placed her index finger on my forehead and my world became black.

 **A/N: I actually cried a little writing this chapter. I had an idea of where I wanted to take the story originally, but I never expected this. :')**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Percy POV

" _Never change."_ The words rang through my mind. " _Something is about to happen that nobody could predict..._ " She said it with such conviction. What the heck was that supposed to mean? I was at a loss for words.

I reached out to my surroundings. My body seemed to react more normally than before. It still ached and I could still feel the hot spike being driven into my chest. But the pain had somewhat subsided. I curled my fingers round a small, rectangular piece of paper in my right hand. Wait a minute? I don't remember having any paper when I fell asleep.

My eyes fluttered open and I winced as I took in my surroundings. I was laying in the foetal position on Damasen's bed, in the corner of his hut. I was facing the leathery wall of the hut and was tucked in under a fur blanket. I quietly listened for any sounds coming from the rest of the hut or my host. Nothing. I slowly pulled my hand up and out of the blanket to look at the piece of paper in my hands. I choked back a sob. In my hand was the photograph of Annabeth that Lady Chaos had given to me. OH MY GODS! That means Chaos is real. The creator of everything was a real living entity and she had a conversation with me!

I stared sadly at the picture infront of me before quietly sliding it into my pocket. I thought back to the conversation I had with the creator of the universe. She said something would happen when I woke up. Something nobody could predict. What the heck did that mean? I got the mental image of all the giants in pink tutus performing the can-can to a roaring audience. What the heck brain?

I was thankfully ripped from my thoughts by a mighty "ROOOOOOOOOAARRRRR" coming from just outside the hut. I whirled around to come face to face with Bob, who was quietly sat on a stool watching me. Kind of creepy, but I'm not going to question him. It appeared as if he didn't even notice the sounds of battle outside. His eyebrows were furrowed and he looked worried.

"What's going on?" I asked him in a slightly raised tone. Bob raised his eyebrows at me but completely ignored the question. "How are you feeling?" He asked as he scooted a little closer to me, looking down with a sad expression.

"Fine thanks. What in Zeus's name was that noise?" I retorted with a tinge of annoyance. He glared at me before sighing and relaxing his shoulders. I hadn't even noticed he was tensed up.

Another enormous roar was hear from outside, before it was suddenly cut short by the sounds of a monster dying. "That, was Damasen. He is defending us from a drakon." He revealed. My mouth dropped open. "We have to help him!" I proclaimed, tearing the fur rug off of the rest of my body and swinging my legs off the bed. I hopped off onto the floor and instantly crumpled into the ground eating a load of dirt. I couldn't feel the lower half of my body.

"What the!?" I exclaimed with a bewildered expression, my eyes widening at the thought of my legs not working. Was I paralyzed? It seemed that way, and would explain Bob's concern. After removing my face from the dusty floor. Bob leant down from his stool and picked me up, sitting me back on the bed.

Bob sat back down on the stool next to the bed and started playing with the keys on his key chain. "Percy… When you used that much power your body literally shut down. It will take some time to become fully functional again. Until then you'll be almost immobile." He expressed with concern. My face paled a little at the thought. I was relieved that I wasn't paralysed from the waist down but how long was It going to take for me to be able to move again? I had to get out of Tartarus, I had a war to fight. My friends were probably waiting at the other side of the doors of death. I didn't even know where the doors of death were! How was I supposed to escape the most inhospitable place on earth if I didn't even know how to escape? On top of that I couldn't even walk.

I looked from Bob down to my legs. A woeful sigh escaped my lips as I thought of all that had happened since I got to Tartarus, and how little hope I had in making it out. I thought about my friends who I'd probably never see again, Chiron and the rest of the camp. Most of all I thought of my mom, who I hadn't seen since I was taken captive by the Queen of the Gods. I missed her a lot.

Bob placed his hand on my arm. I lifted my head to see him looking at me, sadness playing over his eyes, like he knew what I was thinking about. It was quickly replaced by a look of determination.

"Percy, you are going to get out of here." My shoulders slumped a little further. "Would Annabeth want you to give up hope?" I glumly shook my head. Tears rose at the mention of Annabeth. He gave me another empathetic look before smiling. "Then let's get you back on your feet and out to your friends." I turned to look up at him, a smile playing on his lips, before I gave him a nod.

As I did Damasen re-entered the hut. He was carrying tremendous cuts of the same brown/red meat that I had eaten before, as well as some very large bones. I looked at him with a very puzzled expression. He slammed the supplies he was carrying down on the table before turning to look at us.

"Ah Perseus, you're finally awake. Hungry?" He said with a little amusement on his face. He gestured towards the meat he had just put on the table. I looked at the meat. It was freshly cut. Where in the heck did he find a freshly cut meat in Tarta… My eyes widened.

"THAT'S MONSTER MEAT?" I screamed at him, a look of horror adorning my face. Damasen just chuckled at me. "The finest. Maeonian Drakon meat." He said, mirth dancing across his eyes. I gagged and almost puked. I had eaten drakon meat. The thought of that alone was making me want to show my lunch.

"What did you think you were eating." He questioned, staring at me as if I had lost the plot. "Uhh I don't know? Some weird type of beef?" They both roared with laughter as I sat there in disbelief. "C… Cows in… Tartarus..?" Bob said through spits of laughter. Now that I thought about it, it was really stupid. Why would there be cows in Tartarus? I really was dense.

Damasen chopped apart one of the enormous pieces of meat before scraping the chunks into the cooking pot. He grabbed a variety of different spices and herbs from the shelf and threw them into the pot and began stirring.

"So…?" He mused gazing at me intently. "What" I retorted in a condescending tone, still not pleased that I had eaten drakon meat. He glared at me for a few seconds with raised eyebrows. "Someone's grumpy this morning." He said with a smirk. Before I had time to retort he spoke again. "I see you are moving around somewhat. It may be a time before you can escape."

"I know that." I stated coldly. Not breaking as I glared back at him. "I was just curious as to how you planned on escaping Tartarus? Once you are back up to full strength of course." He asked throwing some more red spice into the pot and continuing to stir. I looked at him before sighing and slumping my shoulders, unable to keep up my façade of anger. He was asking the question I had no answer too and was still trying to figure out myself.

"Find the doors of death and try to close them I guess..." I had promised Nico I would find them and close them from my end. It's what I still planned on doing, yet I had no idea how. Bob looked at me before shaking his head. "Percy, I will do all I can to help you reach your destination. I owe it to you for giving me a chance at a new life. But you will need something a little more concrete than that." I looked at him and smiled. A real smile. He wanted to help me, even though I had taken his memories and lied to him. He wanted me to survive and escape.

"I will also aid you as much as is with my power." Damasen proclaimed as he walked over to me. "You have a strong heart, and I wish to see you reunited with your family above." He said with smile. I looked between them gratefully. I looked at Bob. I thought of his reaction to Calypso being freed, how he must long to see his granddaughter again. I looked back at Damasen. He'd been stuck in Tartarus for the majority of his immortal life and had no idea what the upper world looked like anymore, or how far forward the mortals had come.

"Wait a minute! You guys are coming with me." I quickly said back, a little desperation in my voice. I didn't want to leave them down here to suffer. They had redeemed themselves. Or well Bob has. Damasen was never wrong in the first place. Bob looked towards the floor sadly whilst Damasen just raised his eyebrows.

"You guys deserve to see the world again. You helped me in my time of need and I consider you both friends." They both smiled at me. Damasen returned to his cooking pot whilst Bob continued to stare at the floor. My heart faltered a bit. They looked pained, as if I had brought up a bad memory.

"Guys?" I asked in a worried expression. Bob looked up at me from the ground an unreadable look on his face. I was about to ask what was bothering him so much when Damasen spoke up from the middle of the room.

"In any case, we will cross that bridge when we get to it. The stew is ready.." he said with a saddened expression. Damasen suddenly perked up and gave me a mischievous grin. "Would you like some Perseus? Or are you going to continue to insult my cooking?" My mouth fell open at his remark and my stomach grumbled violently in response. "I'll take that as a yes then?" he said before cracking up with laughter.

He poured a bowl for Bob and then one for me, before finally serving himself. We ate in comfortable silence with only small spouts of chatter. Despite what I had learned about the stew and its unappealing appearance I was scraping the bottom of the bowl trying to get every last bit out. It was so good and made my body feel so much better. Damasen came over and took my bowl from me as I gave him a gratifying smile. He smiled back before suddenly standing up rigid. He dropped the empty bowl from his hands and as it crashed to the floor his eyes widened in fear.

"No.." he muttered disbelievingly, his face paling to that of a ghost. "Damasen? What's wrong?" Bob asked sitting up from his slumped position, a look of concern spreading across his face. He stood up and put his hand on Damasen's shoulder, his eyes widening at the look on Damasen's face.

"Damasen!?" he spoke more urgently. I looked on at the two, fear washed over my body. What had Damasen in such a state of shock? Another monster attack? Or maybe something worse? Could it be one of the titans, or perhaps one of the giants that had already been slain?

Damasen turned to Bob his race becoming rigid and hard. "Be ready." He murmured out, his eyes becoming filled with a red fire. With that he pulled away from Bob and gingerly stepped out of the hut. His body tense, as if expecting the fight of his life. Bob moved towards me and stood over me. He summoned his broom from the air and took up a defensive stance above me, eyeing the door, carefully watching for any movements. I felt utterly useless. All I could do is sit there. My hand crept to my pocket, hovering over the picture of Annabeth. My other reached for Riptide. I wouldn't be much use in a fight, but I still may be able to protect myself if something got past Bob.

I didn't know how long had passed, it felt like hours but could well have been minutes. My mind was racing at the thought of what could be out there. Whatever _it_ was had most likely come for me, smelling my demi-god scent. Bob suddenly tensed up as the flap over the door of the hut opened. Damasen stepped in. He was still very rigid and his face was still pale. His eyes however hard lost their fiery anger and were now full of confusion.

"Perseus... You have a... visitor." Damasen said in a mysterious tone. A visitor? In Tartarus? What? The last visitor I had received was the all-powerful creator of everything. Damasen gestured to someone outside the hut to enter. A man stepped around the corner and into the light of the fire. He was tall and muscular, however he looked to be carrying a great burden. His body was absolutely littered with scars, at least a thousand of them, everywhere I could see. His face was familiar and resembled that of Zeus's or maybe Hades. However he had much stronger facial features. His curly black hair was cascading down his head to just above his shoulders. His face was wrinkled with sadness and he had massive bags under his… eyes. I glared back into the solid gold eyes that observed the room before finally resting on me. His face morphed into a smile.

"Kronos.." I choked out as a new wave of fear washed over me. The point of a spear shot out of the end of Bobs broom. He tensed his leg muscles ready to jump at his ' _brother_ ' but never got the chance. Kronos raised his hands infront of him in surrender.

"Ah, Iapetus, how lovely to see you again..." he mused with a smirk. "I am not here to fight, but I would like a word with my grandson if at all possible?" He turned his evil smirk towards me. My stomach got caught in my throat as I gasped for air. Kronos hadn't died on Olympus and wasn't scattered to the four corners of the earth. He was very much alive, and stood right infront of me.

"And why should we trust you?" Bob stated trembling with rage. Kronos turned back to Bob before narrowing his eyes and summoning his scythe out of the air. He slowly approached Bob, and I could see him visibly shudder. Kronos laid the scythe at the foot of the bed before stepping back, hands still raised. He looked expectantly at Bob. Damasen gestured for him to lower his weapon too. Bob remained steadfast, weapon in hand, not even bothering to acknowledge Damasen. Kronos sighed, before turning from Bob to Damasen and then finally to me. He looked at me, his golden eyes pleading to me. I was still in shock, my mouthing hung agape like a fish in the open air. Kronos wanted to talk with me? In peace. What the Hades was happening? I looked back into his eyes and made a split-second decision that I would probably regret.

"Bob, it's okay." I said, my voice cracking half way through from anxiety. I reached out and placed my hand on his arm. He looked at me for a second in disbelief, like what I was doing was the dumbest thing ever. That was very disconcerting, I probably was doing the dumbest thing ever. If I had any sense I would have told Bob to impale Kronos through the chest before he could do something. But a nagging sensation at the back of my mind was telling me to hear him out. Bob slowly lowered his weapon, the spear head retracting into the shaft.

"Thank you, Perseus." he said with a small smile before turning to look at Bob and Damasen. "Alone if you would." Bob roared in anger "You said nothing about alone, and I will not leave you to kill the last hope this planet has for survival!" He re-drew his spear and pointed it towards Kronos.

Kronos's eyes glazed over as he thought. "Would it help if I swore on the Styx to not harm a hair on Perseus' body, and leave in peace once I have said what I need to say?" he questioned Bob, with a glare that could shatter a wall. Bob paled a bit from his glare but nodded.

"Well then... I Kronos, Lord of Time, King of Titans, swear on the river Styx to not harm Perseus in anyway, and that my intentions are truly peaceful." He said with confidence and finesse, not breaking his glare from Bob. The room was silent for a few moments as we all tried to process what had just been said. He really was here under a flag of peace.

Bob grumbled something that I couldn't hear as Damasen led him out of the tent. Kronos watched them both leave whilst impatiently tapping his foot on the floor urging them to be quick about it, before turning to me with a knowing smirk. He approached me and sat on the stool opposite me, turning to face me. We we're face to face. Not a sound could be heard around. I narrowed my eyes at him as he stared back.

"Well, what is it gramps?" I said finally breaking the silence, curious as to why he was here. Kronos roared with laughter, throwing his head back. I was taken back by his reaction and my eyes widened. He was laughing. Could my life get any weirder?

"Perseus, do you know why I have come before you?" he asked, a hint of mirth dancing in his pure gold eyes. I looked around at the empty tent, taking in the surroundings. The only sound that could be heard was the quiet crackle of the fire.

"To kill me and help your mother rise to power?" I retorted, not giving an inch to him. He raised his eyebrows at me before smirking. "On the contrary. I tried to overthrow Olympus and remove the wretched Olympians from power. I have no love for mortals either, but I see their necessity. My mother, however, wishes to wipe the slate clean. Total annihilation." I stared at him, narrowing my eyes.

"What's your point?" I asked, a little gingerly not wanting to anger him. "Perseus, you defeated me. A mortal, overpowering a Titan. You defeated my brother Hyperion in single combat just hours before facing me. Something a mortal has never achieved. And now you fight giants. You may be able to kill them with the aid of the gods, but to overpower a primordial like Gaia? That is an entirely different story." I looked at him with a sad expression. It was true, the feat itself was beyond impossible. I had only survived the Titan war because of the Curse of Achilles. I would have died long before if not for it. I had fought and defeated giants with a lot of luck and some powerful friends to back me up. But a Primordial? I nodded my head sadly.

"No mortal has ever overcome a Titan before in single combat and you only just survived. Now you look to face the earth itself." Hopelessness filled my body as his golden eyes bore into me. He was right. I had no chance of beating Gaia. I was most likely never even going to escape Tartarus at this rate.

"I have no love for the Gods or any of their children, I think they are all vile half-breeds." I glared at him, anger boiling inside me. "No offence." He quickly added. "However the Gods fight for a cause better than my mother, which is why.." His face contorted into one of pain, as if his next words would actually hurt him. "Which is why I am inclined to agree with them." What? Did I just hear that right? Kronos is siding with the gods in this current conflict. My mouth dropped open with an exasperated gasp. All I could do is stare at him, trying to register what he had said.

"Now, to get back to the point." He said with a little harshness in his tone to get me to shut my mouth. He sighed and slumped forward. "Perseus, when I was defeated last year, my already weak soul was broken further. It could barely hold itself together already." He began trembling. His left hand started to shake. Suddenly he clenched his hands into fists. He looked up at me, a look of pure terror and determination on his face.

"I am soon to fade Perseus… Do you know what this means?" He asked, a sad look in his eyes. I nodded slowly. I wanted to make a comment on how he deserved it, how he was evil and had caused the deaths of so many of my friends. How he deserved to die for good. But from the look on his face I couldn't do it. His body was frail, and almost crippled. His scars were an ugly shade. His eyes were sunken back into his head and his lips were dry and cracked apart. His skin had lost all of its colour. He looked awful.

He placed his hand on his scythe and turned to me. I flinched as he did it. My mind racing, he had sworn on the Styx not to harm me, but if what he said about him fading was true there was no reason he couldn't just kill me. I wished Bob was in here, I couldn't fight of Kronos if he decided to attack, even if he was weak.

"Gaia must be stopped and you're the only one who can do it." He said with finality in his voice. I felt as if a weight had just been lifted off my shoulders.

"And that means you're going to need all the help you can get" he said handing his scythe over towards me. My eyes widened. I gingerly reached out and touched it. It instantly resized down so that it would fit me. I felt a surge of power come from the weapon, as if I was a circuit and the scythe was an appliance, connecting itself to me. My fingers tingled as I clutched the shaft of the weapon.

"You now have the power to truly take an immortals life…" With that he stood up from the bedside and inclined his head towards the roof of the hut. "I'm off to see my father. Goodluck... Perseus." He whispered with a heavy sigh, before he slowly began fading from reality. He retained all of his colour but turned transparent, before disappearing entirely. I sat there my mind racing at what had just happened, Kronos's scythe resting on my lap. One thing kept ringing out in my mind. The words of Lady Chaos. _"That nobody could predict."_ Well I sure as Hades couldn't predict something like this.

I sat there for I don't know how long just staring at the spot where Kronos faded. My mind running at the speed of sound as I tried to understand why he'd given this weapon to me. And why he had come to me in his final moments.

Eventually Bob and Damasen re-entered the tent, probably wondering what was taking so long. Both stopped in shock, eyes wider than dinner plates. They just stared at the immortal weapon in my hands.

"Percy?" Bob spoke up, taking another step towards me. I looked up towards him. He looked beyond terrified. "Percy… Where is Kronos and why do you have his scythe?" he asked, his voice a little above a whisper.

"He's with his father now…" is all I could say. I was still trying to recover from the crater that he had left in my mind. "Wha…!?" Damasen spluttered out. As his eyebrows raised up and off the planet.

"He passed his weapon down to me before he faded. He said I would need it to fight Gaia." Damasen's eyes widened further whilst Bob just stood up rigid. They turned to look at each other and a moment passed.  
"In that case, let's get you out of here."

-Line break-

3rd Person POV

Over the next 5 days Percy slowly regained the strength he needed to make it out of Tartarus.

On the first day, he worked on basic motor controls, standing up from his bed, walking around the hut and doing a few jumps and squats. It took its toll and him, his head constantly bedded with sweat as he tried to regain control of his body. Damasen's medicinal remedies could only do so much to help him. Percy was sure if Apollo was down here he'd be back to full strength in a couple of hours. But unfortunately, he was not lucky enough to have the god of healing with him. Damasen left again that day to defend Bob and Percy. The sounds of battle could be heard for miles around, until eventually he returned with drakon meat and the same dappled yellow and green leather that decorated the hut. Percy complained about wanting to aid him in the battle, to which he just chuckled.

It never actually turned day or night in Tartarus, just the same red sulphurous tinge remained and this distant sounds of torture rung out across the plains.

That _'night'_ Percy was plagued by nightmares of Annabeth falling into the void. Gaia entered his mind and tried to break him. Telling him how he couldn't save her and how he wasn't strong enough. How he would let all his friends suffer the same fate when he lost the war. Gaia promised to throw all of his friends into the void along with him. Percy awoke silently screaming, tears pouring down his face along with a look of determination, he would never let that happen. He sat up for the rest of the _'night'_ unable to sleep.

After a long while Damasen awoke and began cooking the same drakon meat stew Percy had been eating for the past few days. After a measly breakfast, Bob and Damasen helped Percy with much more advanced movements, such as sprinting, dodging and rolling. Bob set up a makeshift assault course just outside the hut in the marshy swamp land that they were staying in for Percy to tackle. Damasen again disappeared, the sounds of a familiar battle raging in the distance. Before again returning with an assortment of supplies including bones, leather and meat. Damasen was also baring a nasty gash to his side. Percy continued to question why Damasen disappeared every day, but Bob told him it was only Damasen's place to tell him.

Again, that night Percy was plagued by nightmares. He saw a familiar Greek trireme, armed with ballistae and catapults. The deck looked like it had been in a flash freeze, his friends were all frozen in ice with looks of fear spread across their faces. Piper was alone, standing in front of a girl with pure white hair and a crown of ice upon her head. Percy awoke beaded in sweat. Bob was leaning over him with a concerned look on his face. Percy knew his friends were in danger and had to escape Tartarus soon. Bob only sped up the intensity of the training after that to get Percy out sooner rather than later.

That day Percy worked on his skills and powers, he fought against Bob who was wielding his broom, working on Percy's swordsmanship. To Percy's surprise he hadn't gotten worse. He was a little rusty, but he quickly warmed up and gave Bob a good spar. He then worked on his powers. This was much more difficult for him. He would pull a grimace and clutch his gut every time he tried to move water. But towards the end of the day it became more natural, like it was before.

That evening after they ate their dinner, Percy went over to the end of the bed and picked up the scythe that had lay there since the day it was given to him. Damasen and Bob gave Percy a wary look.

"Perseus... Come here." Damasen said gesturing to the space on the floor opposite him. Percy walked over and sat down. He placed the scythe across his lap, being careful not to catch the blade on anything.

"Percy, you now possess a weapon of power." Damasen said expectantly. Pointing towards the scythe.

"Meaning?" Percy queried a puzzled look on his face. He cocked his head to the side waiting for Damasen to explain.

"It means you can change its form" Bob spoke up from Damasen's left. Percy looked at Bob, his look of confusion only greatening.

"And that means, what exactly?" Percy asked. Damasen face palmed whilst Bob just chuckled.

"Watch…" Bob stated ominously. Before pulling his broom from a space in the air. A moment later it shrunk down and turned into a watch on his arm.

"That's awesome." Percy stated with wide eyes and a big grin.

"Try it." Bob retorted a grin cracking on his face. As his weapon returned to broom form and disappeared.

"Wait what? Percy asked with a bewildered expression on his face.

"Percy, this is one of the most powerful weapons in the universe, it of course can do more than just sit there and look pretty." Bob explained. "Now, pick up your weapon and picture it as something else. Something that would have some meaning to you if it was real. Percy looked between the two before nodding and looking down at the weapon.

He scrunched up his face, a look of concentration spread across his eyes. A few moments passed and nothing happened. Percy shut his eyes and turned his hands palms facing up, the scythe balancing across them. He exhaled deeply and a moment later the scythe shrunk down into a silver wedding ring. It had an intricate yet pleasingly simple wave pattern on it. Percy's eyes shot open as he stared at the ring that now rested in his left palm. He looked up at Bob and Damasen, who were intently staring back with slightly raised eyebrows. Percy slid the ring onto his finger and looked up at the two expectantly.

"How do I get it back?" Percy questioned, playing with the ring.

Bob's eyes darted from Percy's down to the ring and then back up.

"Imagine it as it was." Bob stated simply. A few moments later a scythe re-appeared in Percy's hands.

"That's cool." Percy said eying the blade. The Celestial bronze and mortal steel reflecting the light from the crackling fire.

"I don't really suit a scythe though." Percy said placing it across his lap as he looked down at the floor sadly. "It's a shame. I would have preferred something more like Riptide." He stated drawing the pen from his pocket and uncapping it. He ran his fingers along the flat of the blade tracing over the word _ANAKLUSMOS_. He looked up to see both Bob and Damasen smirking with a mischievous grin.

"And why can it not be something more like 'Riptide'" Bob said as his smile grew.

"Wait? Are you saying…" Percy stammered his eyes widening. A few moments later the scythe melted down into an almost identical copy of Riptide, save for the blade being half steel. Percy looked up from his new weapon with a grin stretching from ear to ear.

"Thank you, Bob!" Percy exclaimed, throwing himself at Bob and embracing him. They both chuckled at Percy's reaction as he continued to change his ring into a sword and back to a ring again.

That night Percy got into bed and pulled out the photograph of Annabeth he had received as a gift. He looked down at the ring on his finger sadly. He wished Annabeth could have something like this. He had always wanted to get married and have kids, but now that she was gone he was at a loss. His eyes began to tear up at the thought of Annabeth being gone. He looked back at the picture as tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Forever yours too, my wise girl…" He whispered to the picture kissing it gently. He then fell off into a quiet, dreamless sleep.

-Line break-

Percy awoke the next morning feeling like his normal self. Or as normal as you can feel in Tartarus. He rolled over, sliding his photograph into his torn apart jeans.

"Good morning Perseus." Damasen said looking up from his cooking pot. Bob was handing him spices from the shelf. "How did you sleep?" he asked. "Better" Percy said sliding out of the bed and onto the ground below. He was able to get some rest that he so badly needed. "And can you please stop with the _Perseus_? just call me Percy. Perseus is way too formal, none of my friends call me it, so you guys shouldn't either." He exclaimed, walking over to the fire and plopping himself down on the floor.

"Very well Percy. Today is the day you escape tartarus."

 **A/N: Sorry about the slowness of this chapter. Its more just trying to set up the story and a filler. There will be much more action next chapter, I promise c:**

 **Thanks for the positive reviews I have already received. It actually pushes me to work more and upload faster. You guys are awesome. Till next time.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: There are some kinda disturbing scenes. Just a forewarning for any younger readers or if you don't like gore so much.**

Chapter 4

Percy POV

I was stood outside the hut that I had called home for the past week. Damasen was stood opposite me and Bob a little way down the trail that lead out of the swamp, waiting for me to say my goodbyes. I was still wearing my torn-up jeans that I had been wearing since I had fallen into Tartarus. Damasen had fashioned me a drakon leather tunic to cover my top half, my t-shirt had long since fallen apart because of the events of the past week.

My trusty pen, Riptide, was in my right pocket next to the picture of Annabeth. I had kept my dream and the photograph a secret from my companions. I still didn't really know what to make of my encounter with Chaos and whether it was a good or bad thing that she had taken the time to visit me. So, I had decided to keep that information until I knew what to do with it.

I had my new ring/sword on my left ring finger, which I had named ' _Cross-current'_ to act as a mate with Riptide. I had always secretly wanted to dual wield swords, but I could never find the correct mate for Riptide. I have always been able to defend myself well without a shield so I have never really used one. I always felt like they slowed me down in combat. So, having this new sword would come in handy; all I had to do was practice. Cross-current was an exact copy of Riptide, other than the blade which was a mix of celestial bronze and mortal steel. It weighed the same, was the same length and shape. Even the leather grip on the hilt was the same.

Cross-current however seemed more in-tune with me than Riptide, like it was actually a piece of my body. My fingers tingled whenever I touched the hilt and I could feel the power the weapon possessed whenever I swung the sword.

"Why can't you come with us Damasen?" I asked as he handed me a small satchel. He smiled down at me before gesturing to open it. Inside was a small waterskin of nectar and a few crumbs of ambrosia. I looked up at him with a puzzled expression.

"That is all I have ever been able to acquire since I was cast down here." He stated sadly "I wish I had more, but alas it is a rare thing to find." My eyes widened and I tried to refuse the satchel.

"I can't take this from you Damasen." He smiled at me before stepping further back. "You'll need it more than I" he said simply.

I looked down at the floor sadly. He had helped me, without any reason too. He could have quite easily given me over to Gaia and been released from Tartarus, but he had helped me. "Thank you Damasen." I said solemnly. To his surprise I reached forward and pulled him into a hug, albeit a strange one seeing as he was just over triple my height.

"I still don't understand why you can't come with us though? Don't you want to see the world above again?" I asked breaking off from the embrace. "More than you know…" he said sadly looking down at the floor, avoiding my gaze. "Then, why don't you?" I asked trying to get a good look at his face. I could see the expression on it and was slightly worried for him.

"There is no point in withholding the truth from you now." He said. My eyes widened. What was he talking about? Was there a reason he couldn't come with me? I gestured for him to continue.

"Percy, when I was cast down here, I was also cursed. I would have left long ago if not for my curse." I looked up at him and he met my gaze. He had a sad expression on his face and I could tell whatever this curse was, it was torturing him.

"In the first Giant war, when I refused to fight Gaia, she sent one of her most powerful drakons to fight me into submission or kill me. She had never expected me to kill it, due to my peaceful nature. And for this, she sent me to Tartarus and cursed me to re-fight the beast every day." I looked at him, my eyes even wider with shock. He scratched his beard before kneeling so that we were face to face.

"That is the reason I have been disappearing every day." He stated gloomily. That explains why he'd return with drakon meat and leather every day. He was fighting it over and over again every day, and had been for thousands of years.

"What if you were to escape Tartarus? Would that break the curse?" I asked hopefully. Surely It would, he was cursed to fight it every day down here. But if he was up on the surface maybe he wouldn't have to fight it.

"Unfortunately, not. The drakon would just reform and re-appear on the surface every day. That would cause untold amounts of destruction." I furrowed my eyebrows and looked at him sadly. He could leave but didn't want to cause chaos in the world above. It was his peaceful nature keeping him down here.

"Do not be sad Percy." He stated gently.

"I'm not sad. I'm angry, angry at what Gaia has done to you. It isn't fair." I retorted anger simmering inside me. Gaia was evil, and it made me angry knowing what she had done to Damasen. He probably wasn't the only case either. He smiled down at me and raised his eyebrows.

"I want to help you get out of here. If I can't do it now, I will find a way to do it once the war is over." I vowed. He smiled at me before I pulled him into one last hug. "I won't forget what you've done for me Damasen. Thank you." I said smiling at him from ear to ear. I pulled away from him as tears began to roll down my face. I felt guilty about leaving him behind to suffer alone. He was a good and kind friend and didn't deserve this.

"Go Perseus, with all the luck you can muster." He whispered to me before giving me a gentle nudge onto the track. I turned and waved at him one last time before running to catch up with Bob.

-Line Break-

Bob and I began walking down the trail that led out of the swamp. As we walked, we passed numerous rotting drakon corpses. It appears that they didn't turn to dust like the other monsters but instead left grizzly trophies. We passed one that looked to have been killed very recently. It was impaled through the stomach on a tree in a pool of its own blood. Its entrails were strewn out across the floor. Maggots were overflowing out of the empty eye sockets. Some weird spider-rat looking creatures that had the head of a large rat and the body of a spider; They were about the size of a small dog. They were contently ripping off chunks of its flesh. One of the spider-rat things noticed us and gave a hiss before returning its attention to the carcass. It's safe to say I felt the need to be sick more than once.

Once we exited the swamp and up a short but steep incline we began to trek for miles through black rocky terrain. The floor was made of sharp shards of slate that would have cut my feet if I hadn't been wearing shoes. We passed large stalagmites that had corpses impaled on them, blood was dripping down from fresh corpses, whilst older rotting corpses were litter around the bases. We walked past trenches in the ground filled with rotting corpses and hills with many large crosses on. I looked at them for a moment confused before I saw the withered people nailed to the wood. I quickly caught up with Bob again, not wanting to get familiar with the scenery. We walked past a few empty campsites that had recently been inhabited by something. The fire pit still letting off small puffs of smoke.

At one point, we passed a large oak tree that had no leaves on it. Instead there were bodies, impaled onto the tree by spears, some contorted at horrifying angles to show that they were tortured beforehand. I found it hard not to grimace as everywhere I looked, there were dead people, who had been clearly horribly tortured and then cast aside. I knew that these were the worst people on the planet and had been sent here by the gods for a reason, but I couldn't help but feel bad.

Eventually a massive mountain appeared in the distance that was much larger than the other hills and mountains dotting the landscape. The peak was surround by black smoke, the kind that comes out of factories. There were hundreds of cave entrances dotted all around the mountain. Every now and again a plume of fire would shoot out at random from one of the caves. We slowed to a stop as I stared up at the mountain. I could hear the screams from where I was standing. I looked at Bob. He turned to me with a gruesome look on his face, but didn't answer the question I was asking with my eyes. I didn't even know if I wanted an answer to be honest. I could already imagine what was happening inside that mountain and I did not want any details.

Bob turned and handed me a small leather waterskin. He told me it was to help with poisonous atmosphere of Tartarus, and to take a small sip every time it became hard to breathe. I immediately took a sip before we continued walking. My vision became clearer and it became much easier to breath. I hadn't even noticed how hard it was getting till I took a sip. We began speeding up as the mountain got closer. It was an unconscious decision, but we both wanted to get away from that place as fast as possible.

As the mountain and screams faded behind us and we passed another campsite a thought crossed my mind. This was Tartarus, home of all monsters. Where they came to reform. And we hadn't come across any other than the weird spider-rat creatures.

"Bob where are all the monsters?" I asked in a quiet tone as not to jinx myself. Knowing my luck, we would be attacked by everything at once now. Bob turned to me with a dark expression. "You'll see soon enough." He stated mysteriously before continuing to walk with a quickened pace. I looked up to where we were headed. I could see massive dark-red storm clouds a couple of miles ahead of us. I sighed and began to follow.

Thank the gods Bob was leading the way. I never would have been able to find my way out if not.

After around another hour of walking and taking in the 'marvellous' scenery we came to a gradual descending incline. I slowed to a stop staring down into the inky red mist, made up of different harmful toxins. The smell of sulphur most prominent.

"What's wrong Percy? Why have you stopped?" Bob inquired, a concerned look on his face. My eyes widened.

"Can you feel that?" I asked. Bob nodded before turning to continue.

The floor below us was thumping like a heartbeat. It was very slight but with my above average senses I could just feel it. It was coming from further down the hill, the direction we were heading.

After another few hundred meters of walking I began to hear a sound like a roaring crowd. Like every stadium in the world had come together for one massive event. And now thousands upon thousands of people were crammed into a small space, waiting for something. Bob crouched down and darted to the side off the trail we were following. I followed his lead and darted off to the side as well. We crept round some massive rocks as the noise only got louder and louder.

Eventually we came to a small partition in the rocks. Bob crossed to the other side and then gestured inwards, I peeked around the corner and my heart stopped.

We were in a large valley, spikey black rock walls ascending as far as the eye could see. About 5 feet in front of the rocks we were crouched behind was a 10-foot drop. After that It was all flat land for about half a mile. The entire floor, every space was filled with a monster of some kind. There were legions upon legions of dracaenae, telekhines, hellhounds, laistrygonians, cyclopes, drakons of varying sizes and many more. Every monster I could name was below me. There had to be tens of thousands of them. What little hope I had of escaping Tartarus was instantly crushed.

How was I supposed to get past this many monsters? Even with Bob at my side it seemed hopeless.

Bob pointed to a large jutting out plateau in the distance. There were two figures stood at either side of a large set of doors. I gasped 'The Doors of Death'. The doors were elevator doors, Silver and Black and they looked like a reversed version of the elevator doors on Olympus.

On either flank of the doors was a large black chain strapping it down to the rock. The doors shook and rumbled as if they were straining against the chains, trying to escape. This is what Thanatos must have been talking about. The doors of death had literally been chained down.

I watched as the doors opened and a battalion of cyclopes near the front rushed forward, shrinking down as they entered the elevator. The figure on the left smacked the up button and the doors slid shut. We waited to see what would happen and a full 10 minutes later the doors re-opened and a group of dracaenae slithered into the doors before the doors slid shut.

"Percy, I won't be able to hold off these monsters for long at all. Two of my brothers are also standing guard next to the doors." I looked back towards the two figures standing guard. The one on the left was one I could distinctly recognise. He had black armour covered in white dots. A helm was atop his head, ram's horns exiting the sides of his helmet. Krios, Titan of the South was stood infront of the button. He was impatiently tapping his foot, waiting for the elevator to re-open. On the other side of the elevator was a titan I had never seen before. He wore stormy light blue armour and pants to match. He had no helmet on so I could see his face clearly. He had a mess of auburn hair and his eyes were a mixture of silver and grey with flakes of gold contrasting.

"I can see Krios up there, but who's the other one?" I asked Bob. He turned to look around the corner at the other figure before turning back. "Good news for us. That is Koios Titan of the North." Bob said, a look of relief appearing on his face.

"Why is that good news?" I asked a little urgently. How could two titans be good news? That sounded like bad news.

"Because Koios has always been the most reasonable out of my brothers." He said before crossing back over to my side.

My head snapped over to Bob as I had realised what he had said earlier. "Bob, what did you mean hold them off? You're coming with me, right?" I whispered to him as he crouched down next to me. He sighed and lowered his head. He turned to me with a sad look on his face. "Percy, to shut the doors of death we need to first cut both chains, before sealing it with 'godly' blood. This needs to be done on the mortal side as well..." My face paled as I realised what he was saying.

"Percy, I won't be following you through the doors today." I got a sudden horrible feeling in my stomach. Bile began to rise up my throat. Bob and Damasen had helped me and had risked their lives for me. Bob was about to try and fight off a horde of monsters larger than anyone had ever seen before as well as two of his brothers, all to get me out of Tartarus. I swallowed back down the sick feeling before pulling Bob into an embrace.

"Bob why are you doing this for me?" I questioned as he pulled away. He turned and gave me a smile. "Because you have given me a chance of redeeming myself for my past. I no longer want to be Iapetus and if this helps clear my name and gives me a chance at peace, then I would gladly give my life." He said with a fiery determination.

"Bob, I swear on the Styx, once we win this war, I'm going to get you out of here. Same as Damasen. You will see your family again and be able to live in peace." I whispered back, my voice cracking with heartache. He smiled again before his face turned serious again.

"Percy, I am going to shroud you in mist, you will appear as a monster, but your scent won't be covered. It isn't the death mist that you burned away from your body. But it will have to do. We must be as quick as possible to avoid your capture. I will attempt to sneak you into the elevator with the next group, but be prepared for the fight of your life." He stated with determination.

Bob scrunched up his face and waved his hand infront of me. His eyes shot open and he recoiled from me with a grimace. "What?" I asked. My eyes widened with shock. My voice had lowered a considerable amount to the point where it could barely be recognised. "What the…?" I wondered internally but also asked aloud. I looked down to see a shimmering form on top of me. My skin had turned an ugly beige colour. I had an excess of hair growing from every visible part of my skin. My finger nails had yellowed and begun to crack. I stared at myself in shock before looking up at Bob who was trying to supress a smile.

"For your information, you now look like a laistrygonian. Now are you ready?" My eyes widened at what Bob had just said. Bob gave up, a small smile playing on his lips. I gave him a slight nod before he stood up and walked out of the crack in the rocks, an aura beginning to grow around him. I could tell he was going full 'Titan' mode to get us past the monsters with as little trouble as possible. I followed him out and together we dropped down from the ledge.

I stuck closely behind Bob as we walked, monsters parted for him as he strode forward but would very quickly fill up the space he had just been in, and I didn't want to get trapped or left behind. Most of the monsters ignored me as I walked forward. But every now and again one would perk up when I got close and look around before fixing their eyes on me. They would watch me for a few seconds before returning whatever they were doing before. I nervously crept behind Bob for what seemed like an eternity my heart in my throat the entire time. The density of the monsters only increasing the closer we got to the large piece of rock that held the doors.

Eventually we reached the base of the rock that the doors were set upon. Bob stepped out of the crowd and climbed up onto the small rock. I made a split-second decision not to follow him up, it would have looked out of place for a random laistrygonian to follow a Titan lord up to his brothers. I looked around me taking in my surrounds. I was stood at the front of a horde of thousands upon thousands of monsters. The monsters around me were almost all staring at me. An empousia narrowed her eyes and limped to within half an inch and began sniffing. I froze solid, praying to every god and goddess I could think of that I wasn't detected. I turned and looked directly into her blood red eyes. I shuddered at the thought of what would happen if I was caught. She continued sniffing me and then started trailing one of her fingers across my skin. She then stuck her finger in her mouth before narrowing her eyes further at me. I was about to take my chances and climb up after Bob, when his voice rung out from the top of the rock turning the attention of all the monsters near me including the empousia. I silently thanked the gods.

"Krios! Koios! Brothers!" Bob said, a fake smile plastered on his face as he clapped them both on the back. Neither moved from the positions on the chains where they were stood but turned their heads.

"Iapetus?" Koios said in disbelief. Turning around and taking his foot from the chain and stepping closer to his brother. "Yes, it is me, brother." Iapetus said warmly. "I thought you were in the underworld with Hades?" Koios said with a smile. Woah I never knew Titans could smile. Like really smile. I guess Koios and Iapetus were close.

Krios narrowed his eyes at Koios before turning to address his brother. "Yes, Iapetus, I thought you were Hades' slave now, since that pathetic son of Poseidon, Jackson pushed you into the Lethe. How did you escape?" I could see Bob clenching his teeth and his hands balled up into fists. He stepped closer to Krios, within striking distance.

"It seems _brother"_ – He spat out the word brother with an icy tone "That I have begun to remember my old self." With that Bob pulled his broom out and thrust it straight through the heart of Krios, who didn't even have time to raise his eyebrows at the speed at which Bob moved. His face turned a pale white colour as he dropped to one knee. He began convulsing as _ichor_ began flowing from his mouth and wound. Bob ripped his spear from his brother's heart and he fell down to the floor, turning into golden dust and blowing off the rock towards the crowd. The entire horde of monsters were silent with shock at what had just happened. They had quietened down once the Titans began talking, all watching intently at the show in front of them. But when Bob thrust his spear into Krios every trace of sound stopped.

Bob turned to Koios with a guarded expression holding his spear ready to defend himself. Koios did the complete opposite of what I had imagined and just burst out laughing. He threw his head back before bending over, clutching his stomach. Bob had very puzzled expression on his face, as did basically everyone else nearby. "Asshole" Koios yelled at the fading remains of his brother once he had composed himself, before turning to his brother, a smile stretching across his face. Koios' eyebrows raised at the look Bob was giving him. "What? He was an asshole." Koios exasperated. "He's too much like Hyperion." Koios said before approaching Bob. Bob smiled and leaned up to Koios and began to whisper into his ear.

I looked around me to see all the monsters staring up intently at the two, trying to get some notion of what they were speaking about. I was also curious, but my question was answered when Koios nodded before narrowing his eyes. A moment later his eyes widened and he turned his gaze right onto me. I knew Bob had told him it was me.

My mind began racing. I wasn't worried about the thousands of monsters around me, because they seemed to have forgotten about me. I was worried about the look Koios was giving me. He wrenched his gaze from me and back to Bob. They looked like they were having a mental debate. A few moments passed before finally Koios lowered his gaze and Bob had a triumphant look on his face.

"Perseus…" Bob said in my mind. My eyes widened as they both turned to stare directly at me. All the monsters around me followed their gaze and turned to me expectantly. Oh shit.

"Perseus, Koios has agreed to help you in exchange for his, and his wife's freedom from Tartarus. They wish to live on the surface in peace. He said he will swear on the Styx to never go against Olympus, as long as he is left in peace." Percy looked between the two Titans, both had an almost pleading look on their faces. Koios wanted to be free just like Bob and Damasen. He didn't want to take part in the war and I could sympathise with that. I nodded quickly to the two before looking at the floor.

At that moment, a massive earth quake shook the ground knocking most of the monsters and myself to the floor. Bob looked to me to see if I was the cause of it but I had only just recovered from the blast. A moment later a massive hole ripped open in the air about 100 meters to the left. It looked like black hole had just torn itself into reality. Many monsters shrieked and screamed as they all surged away from the giant swirling vortex.

Suddenly a man emerged walking on the air. He was at least 30ft tall and was built like a tank, bulging with so much muscle Ares would be jealous. His skin was a purple/red colour. He was wearing nothing but black armour, greaves and bracers. He had a helmet atop his head, with the front removed. And his face, my heart stopped and my stomach jumped up out of my throat. His face was nothing more than a swirling vortex. He strode forward through the air, stopping after a few meters. All the monsters bowed to the man. Till only Bob, Koios and I were standing.

" **YOU ARE UNWORTHY TO BE CALLED TITANS!** " The man roared in an unbelievably deep voice. But his voice didn't come from him, it resonated from all around us vibrating out of the ground and rocks. I realised who I was looking at. Tartarus, Primordial of the Pit and true father to all monsters. My eyes widened and I gulped. The second I gulped his head snapped towards me. He flicked his wrist and I shuddered as I felt as if the top layer of my skin had just burned off. I turned to Bob and his eyes widened. I looked down toward my body and my lips began to tremble, the layer of mist had been ripped off exposing me. All the monsters roared and snarled upon seeing me. Many probably recognised me as I had sent a large portion of the mythological world back here.

" **KILL THEM!** " Tartarus bellowed as all the monsters roared and surged forward.

I had Riptide uncapped in an instant and swung in a wide arc, killing most of the monsters close to me. I backed away from the rapidly advancing lines of monsters till my back was against the rock. A hellhound leaped over the front lines and bound towards me. It was abruptly halted when a large silver spear shaft appeared through its head.

As it dissolved away, I saw Bob swinging wildly in front of him trying to keep the monsters at bay and away from me, but I knew even he wouldn't survive for long against this many monsters, not to mention Tartarus who had begun walking in our direction. Tartarus pulled a large sword from thin air, his body began to glow with a dark light. He began rapidly closing the distance between us, and I realised that this was probably the end. We couldn't hold off this many monsters and a Primordial. Heck I couldn't even fight Tartarus, he was in a whole other league, not to mention being in his home turf.

A large roar, silenced all of the fighting as we turned to see a massive yellow and green drakon snaking its way towards us. Oh, great, I thought, just to add insult to injury, the largest drakon I had ever seen was coming to kill me. Along with every other monster in existence. The drakon then suddenly jerked left straight towards Tartarus and tackled him out of the air. All the monsters lost interest in Bob and I and turned to face the monster that had just tackled the primordial in shock, wondering what creature would be stupid enough to do something like that. I was wondering myself why the drakon attacked Tartarus.

What I saw next made my face light up with a mixture of emotions, shock, happiness and then distress. Damasen was standing infront of his father, a massive red spear in hands, facing him down. The drakon behind him wreaking havoc in the monster's lines.

Bob turned to me whilst all the monsters were distracted whispered one word; "Run..." He gave me a boost up as I began climbing up towards the doors.

" **DON'T JUST STAND THERE. GET THEM!** " I heard Tartarus roar as I climbed up onto the plateau and began running towards the doors. The sounds of battle raging behind me.

As I got closer, I saw Koios, with his own large sword, killing any monster that climbed up onto the rock. He turned to cut another cyclops down before noticing me sprinting towards the doors. He leapt out and smashed the button. The doors slid open with a pleasant ' _ding'_.

He turned and cut the first chain, his sword slicing through the black metal like it was butter. I turned to survey that battle that I had just left. I saw the Maeonian drakon rip the neck out of another drakon before turning and chomping down on a laistrygonian giant. Its left eye was shut, a spear sticking out. Blood was spewing out of its mouth and its body was riddled with injuries, yet it continued to fight with a ferocity. I turned just in time to see Damasen get back-handed and fly quite a distance before crashing down into the horde, crushing multiple lesser monsters. Tartarus bellowed with rage as he charged forward at Damasen who was already back on his feet. Damasen was cut up and bruised, he had a nasty gash to his side and was limping heavily. I turned lastly to Bob, He had spears and arrows sticking out of him, a hellhound was latched onto his arm and he was trying to shake it off. Ichor flowed from him like a waterfall. I choked back a sob when I saw that they were willing to sacrifice their lives for me

"Hurry!" Koios screamed at me as he impaled another cyclops. I turned and rushed toward the elevator halting as I reached the threshold. I had secretly hoped Annabeth had survived her fall and had made it here by herself. I knew it was stupid but I wanted to believe. If anyone could do it, she could.

"Less beings support my mother than she claims. I will seal the doors, good luck demi-god." Koios muttered before shoving me into the elevator and slicing through the last chain. "T-Than-k y-you" Is all I could stutter out as he smashed the button before turning to give me a smile.

The doors slid shut and I was instantly thrown to the floor of the elevator as it rocketed upwards. I could feel the G-force increasing as the elevator gained speed flying upwards. When the pain became unbearable my world turned black.

 **A/N: Tell me what you guys think so far? I'm interested on what you guys and gals have to say. Any feedback is good feedback, even if you slate me! :D**

 **I wasn't going to turn this into a Pertemis story, even though I ship them. Though they will be spending time together at one point.**

 **However I think I'll let you guys decide, so vote on who you think Percy should end up with! (I can even bring Annabeth back if you want. I know exactly how to do it and is what I was originally intending.)**

 **P.S. there will be Lemons, maybe not super detailed. But there will be.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Nico POV

" _Promise me Nico."_

Percy's last words rung through my head. It was all I could think about as I watched one of my best friends fall into Tartarus. It had been a week since that day in Rome and it hadn't gotten any easier since they fell. For any of us.

Everyone had a massive amount of guilt riding on their shoulders. Mostly Frank, Jason and I. Frank was beyond upset watching the one friend he had other than Hazel, who had unconditionally believed in him, helping him with his confidence and slightly nudging him and Hazel together, fall into a Tartarus. He had the ability to turn into a giant eagle and could have saved them. He blamed himself for not paying attention to what was going on. Frank was lucky to have Hazel by him, every step of the way, trying to ease his guilt. Jason was much the same as Frank, he had the ability to fly, and cursed himself for not paying attention. Piper was there for him too, easing the unsurpassable amount of guilt he felt.

I remember what Tartarus was like when I had been down there, I had nightmares about it every time I closed my eyes, and I was only down there for a few hours before I was captured. I couldn't imagine what it must be like for Percy and Annabeth, being down there for a week. The horrors I had seen had left a lasting imprint on me, and I found walking through Punishment soothing.

At dinners, we had discussed different plans and what to expect on arriving in Epirus. But nobody ever seemed into it. Even Leo barely cracked jokes anymore. It was like the heart and soul of our team had just been ripped out. We could all feel it every time someone brought the two up. That emptiness that was normally filled by the two. Percy doing something stupid and Annabeth chiding him for it. The fact that they were always there for each other and everyone else.

I was ripped from my thoughts as the elevator on the other side of the room ' _dinged'_ open and a group of cyclopes barrelled out and joined the melee in the middle of the room.

An army of skeletal legionnaires fought against an army of little over a hundred monsters. I had summoned this army with Diocletian's sceptre which apparently only had one charge left and had crumbled in my hand upon summoning our own small legion of soldiers.

Frank and I were commanding from the centre of the skeletal legion in an epic face off against the monsters. Piper was standing just behind the front lines, lacing her voice with charmspeak, causing all sorts of chaos in the front lines of the monsters. Every now and again monsters would drop their weapons, or turn and run away, only to come sprinting back seconds later.

Jason, Leo and Hazel were busy trying to overpower Clytius. They were struggling to fight him off as every time they used some sort of power it would be instantly sucked out of the air by Clytius. So they were having to rely on their combat skills. We had learned that Clytius's weakness was fire, however Leo couldn't get a hit in as every time a vacuum would appear and would stop the fire in its tracts. Jason was also trying to use lightning but was getting the same result.

I was again wrenched from my observations when the right side of our skeletal legion collapsed and monsters poured through with renewed vigour. I rammed my Stygian iron sword into the floor and more skeletal soldiers began pouring out of the crack that had formed.

At a expense of a large portion of my energy another few dozen warriors were stood infront of me. My head was beaded with sweat. The skeletons snapped to attention ready to obey my orders.

"Go help them!" I roared to the skeletons, pointing towards the crumbling right side. They all gathered up into a formation before charging into the monsters causing even more chaos, but plugging the hole.

The elevator ' _dinged_ ' again and a group of dracaenae slithered out with bewildered expressions on their faces at what was going on. Before rushing over and joining the struggle.

"Hahahahhaha!" Clytius screamed, a maniacal expression forming on his pitch-black face. "You have fought valiantly, but you cannot continue. I will keep receiving reinforcements until we overwhelm you." The monsters all roared in approval.

Suddenly Clytius roared in pain and fell to one knee. An imperial gold sword jutting out of his exposed knee.

"And you need to shut up!" Jason shouted from behind Clytius, before ripping his gladius out and slashing it across Clytius's back causing a waterfall of ichor to flow out. I then realised that Jason had used that moment of distraction to strike Clytius and give us a chance to end this fight before it got too out of control.

Frank had obviously seen this opportunity as well as he roared " _Legio, et Deiceps!"_ From the front line. All the skeletons began advancing forward towards the doors, where as previously they had all been in a defensive formation. I joined Frank at the front as we pushed closer and closer to the doors.

I was wondering when had Frank replaced Piper when suddenly an ear-splitting scream was heard and I whirled round to see Piper crash into the wall. It was clear that Clytius had just thrown her as she had tried to sneak up behind him like Jason. He had obviously learnt from Jason's attack and was now more cautious of attacks from behind.

"PIPER!" Jason screamed as he flew over to her to check on her and began feeding her some small chunks of ambrosia. Now Hazel and Leo were they only ones facing Clytius. They were both standing infront of Clytius. And even though he was quite injured, it would have been a hard fight for the two, neither were known for their incredible fighting skills.

"We need to finish this fast!" I yelled as I turned back to Frank. With the power of both Frank, hastily appointed Praetor and my control over the undead, we quickly smashed our way through the lines and the monsters began to break.

I cut the arms of a dracaenae before stabbing her through the chest. As she dissolved into dust I heard the elevator 'ding' again. I cursed, Clytius was right. We couldn't keep going like this. Although it had taken much longer for the elevator to come up this time, which was good I guessed.

I turned to face the doors expectantly as Clytius roared with laughter but was very quickly shut up when he didn't see monsters pour out.

Instead the elevator began spewing out mist and smoke. My eyes widened as a familiar raven-black hair boy stepped out before graciously collapsing to his knees and crumbling to the floor. I turned back to everyone who was stunned at what had just happened. The doors then began shaking violently behind Percy, as more and more mist poured out of the open doors.

"Nico GO!" Frank yelled at me pointing at Percy's lifeless form on the floor before returning to the dwindling numbers of monsters who had all started to panic at the prospect of not receiving more reinforcements.

I began running towards Percy, overwhelmed at the fact that he had survived Tartarus when something stopped me cold in my tracks. Where was Annabeth? I couldn't see her anywhere in or around the doors. A deep roar rumbled from behind me as I turned to see Hazel and Hecate finish off Clytius. Frank was cutting down the last dracaenae, the whole legion had since turned to ash and blown away. Jason had Piper on her feet and she was limping towards me, using Jason as support. They all had sickly pale faces. I turned around to run to Percy and saw him on his knees facing the doors. He was clutching Riptide in his hand. I slowly approached with a questioning look, and watched as he drew the blade across his hand before placing his bloody palm against the elevator door. It glowed brightly before disappearing. Percy then reached into a small satchel, slung over his shoulder and pulled out a small piece of ambrosia. He ate the entire thing, staring at the spot where the doors had just been stood. We all just stood around in shock. Piper was the first to recover and speak up.

"Percy? Where's Annabeth?" She called out. I could tell she had hit a nerve because Percy visibly shuddered. She couldn't be dead? I hadn't felt her soul enter the underworld. I was extremely confused, but I knew not to push Percy, as it seemed like a bad subject. My mental questions were answered when he turned around. His face was a sickly grey colour with hints of green. His eyes were raw and rimmed in red with massive purple bags hanging underneath. All colour and happiness that had once lived in his eyes had all but drained out. Like someone had removed the 'sparkle' in his eyes. They were now an empty, dull green colour; which was so uncharacteristic of him. His clothes, or, what was left of them were covered in muck and grime. Underneath, his whole body was a pale colour and littered with blisters and some scars.

Percy took a step forward and instantly crumpled down again. I surged forward to help and caught him before his head connected with the floor. I slowly lifted him to his feet and draped his arm around me for support. Frank rushed up and took the other side. It was clear he couldn't properly walk.

Without another word we exited the House of Hades with Percy between us. Hazel led us as we slowly traversed through the Necromanteion, Frank and I helping Percy as he struggled to walk. Followed by Jason helping Piper and Leo bringing up the rear. Jason handed me a small canteen of nectar as we walked, which I gingerly gave to Percy. He took a few sips before passing it back, still not uttering a word.

Eventually we exited out of the tunnels and onto the lush green hill outside followed by some worried and confused expressions from the other members of the quest.

As we stepped out, into the light we could see the Athena Parthenos glittering on the hill top with a female figure standing next to it. The Argo II was moored just off to our left.

We slowly approached the figure, afraid of another attack. But when I caught a glimpse of her piercing grey eyes, I almost wished it was another monster.

As my eyes were fixed on the figure infront of us Percy broke off from the group without any warning or notice and began limping heavily towards the ship clutching his pocket. He took a second glance at the figure standing next to the statue who was staring right back at him, before climbing up onto the ship.

Without missing a beat Leo piped up. "Well that isn't good." He stated sadly gesturing towards Percy, as we approached the statue. A few moments later Frank spoke up "What do you reckon happened?" he asked. I turned to see tears streaked down all of their faces. They had all probably come to the same conclusion I had.

"She isn't dead guys. I didn't feel her soul enter the underworld." I said. They all gave me a confused glare. Whilst Jason just narrowed his eyes.

"But he wouldn't have left her behind? Right?" Jason said giving me a concerned look. We all pondered the thought in silence. Percy wouldn't have done that. Loyalty was his fatal flaw. And I know he would have given his life to get Annabeth out. He loved her a lot, it didn't add up.

We reached the crest of the hill and the figure standing on it. I was the first to address the woman standing tall. "Lady Athena." I bowed. I heard Leo behind me gulp as the rest of the group followed my lead.

"Well done heroes! As you know, once you recovered the Athena Parthenos, the god's minds began to heal." It was true. After we had returned to the ship Athena appeared before us to congratulate us and tell us the gods were beginning to mend their minds. She had a moment of clarity to come tell us, as it was ' _her_ ' we recovered. She had looked visibly shaken when we told her what had happened to her daughter and Percy and looked ready to aid us in breaking them out of Tartarus.

"Well we have finally recovered our strength and are ready to aid the eight of you when the final battle comes at Olympus. Speaking of which, where is my daughter? Where is Annabeth?" I cringed knowing full well she may just disintegrate us upon finding out that Annabeth hadn't emerged from Tartarus with Percy.

"Uh… L-Lady Athena, we know as much as you do. Percy has yet to say anything since he got out of Tartarus." Piper quickly spoke up in attempts to stop the harsh glare Athena was giving us. She narrowed her eyes even further and clenched her fists. I could tell she was angry. Athena had never liked Percy, but disliked him even further for dating Annabeth.

"Lady Athena! Percy looks visible broken. Please let us try and reach him before you go in there and smite him." I yelled out quickly. She transfixed her harsh glare on me. I really wanted to make sure Percy was okay. He had been there for me and filled the void when Bianca left and if Annabeth was gone I wanted to be there for him. Also, I didn't want to see him reduced to a scorch mark on the floor as per Athena's wrath. Athena took a deep breath before nodding in agreement and vanishing in a grey light. We all stood there for a moment, before returning to the ship.

After helping the others hoist the Athena Parthenos up to the ship I walked in search of Percy. I looked in the mess hall and found no sign of him before walking to his room.

His door was shut but I could tell he was inside. Not wanting to barge in I knocked on the door. "Percy? Are you in there?" My voice was hoarse and sounded like gravel. I didn't know what to say. I knew he wouldn't want pitying but reassurance. "Percy, I just wanted you to know that I'll be there for you, as you were for me…" My voice trailed off sadly. I coughed, trying to find the right words. "Just know you aren't alone." I called one last time before walking off.

I re-entered the mess hall, my mind racing, to find all of the quest members, including coach hedge sat glumly around the table. They had a banquet of food but none of them had eaten anything, they all just stared sadly at their plates. We were all still trying to digest the events of the day. Piper and Hazel were still visible crying as their boyfriends were trying to comfort them. The second I entered all their heads perked up, clearly hoping that I had had a breakthrough with Percy. I just shook my head before sitting down next to Hazel.

"What now?" Frank croaked out. I hadn't even thought about what we would do next. I had completely forgotten we were in the middle of a war. I was too worried about what had happened to Percy down in Tartarus, and what may have happened to Annabeth to even care about fighting a war.

"Athena said the final battle would take place at Olympus. So I guess that's where we are headed next." Jason spoke up his voice rough. We all nodded our silent agreements. It was the best and only plan we had.

I suddenly felt a presence behind me, and whirled around to find Percy standing in the shadows his eyes were sunken and bloodshot, rimmed with red. Everyone looked up at me with a puzzled expression before their eyes widened at the sight of Percy.

"Hi, how are you guys? What did I miss?" He asked, his voice unbearably coarse and sad. I winced at the sound. I knew that he was one wrong word from breaking down. I also mentally face palmed at the fact that he had asked how we were, even though he was stuck in Tartarus for a week and had lost Annabeth.

"We're alright man. We are just discussing what to do next." I stated simply, not wanting to bring up that subject. He looked directly into my eyes and I could see the gratitude on his face for completely avoiding the subject.

Strangely, Coach Hedge also picked up on what I was trying to do and spoke up. "Yes, we were discussing that the battle will take place at the original Olympus. I can't wait to beat the seven shades of Hades out of some giants." I gave him a glare. "Coach, could you not use my father's name that way." I said with a little frustration. I was sick of people using my dad's name as a curse. Just because he was perceived as evil, didn't mean he was.

Percy nodded before turning around and leaving. He obviously didn't want to be part of the planning. After he left I let out a breath that I hadn't even noticed I was holding in.

-Line Break-

3rd Person POV

A week has passed since the events in the House of Hades. It is the eve of the battle against the giants and the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Coach had ordered everybody to bed early, to make sure everyone was rested and ready for tomorrow.

Percy has hardly been seen since, he had spent all of his time inside his room, other than when he was on watch, which the others had tried to stop him from doing, claiming they didn't mind taking his extra shifts. He had refused them, taking the watches where he would be alone.

Percy didn't want to shy away from work or his duty to protect his friends. The only other time he was seen was when something attacked the ship. When in combat against various foes, Percy was a lot more reckless and a lot more brutal. He'd fight with a speed and ferocity that his friends had never seen before, throwing himself intentionally into harm's way to make sure all of his friends would be okay and out of danger. At one point a group of gryphons attacked the ship and Percy intentionally acted as bait so the others could pick them off with ranged weapons.

Nobody other than Nico and Frank tried to talk to Percy as most were afraid of saying the wrong thing and upsetting him. Nico and Frank however kept trying, regularly checking up on him and bringing him food. Everyone wanted the old Percy back. The fun, kind, loving Percy that they could all depend on. They were all also terrified for Percy, worried that he had been permanently scarred by the events of Tartarus, which he had yet to share with anyone.

Nico POV

I woke up after a couple of hours sleep. I was too nervous about the events of tomorrow. Before, we all seemed to make it through everything by miracles alone. But having lost Annabeth, the threat of losing someone close was all too real. We all knew it could happen. It had happened. And that just terrified us even more. Nobody could bear the thought of losing another member of the group. They were all close friends. I was closer to Frank and Hazel than I was to many people back at Camp half-blood, despite only knowing the two for a shorter amount of time.

I slipped on my black jeans and a black t-shirt before sneaking out of my cabin and out up onto the deck. I breathed in the fresh air and strolled along the deck of the ship. It was a clear night and all the stars were out. I could see nebulae stretching across the night sky and the concentration of stars that was our milky way. I continued walking before a figure sitting at the base of the mast drew my attention. I took a few steps closer before recognising it as Percy. He was curled up in a ball, hugging his legs to his chest, staring up at the night sky. I was going to walk away, knowing Percy still probably needed his space. But some urging feeling made me walk up to him and silently sit next to him.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, both just staring up at the constellations until he finally spoke up. "You know you're my brother Nico." He said, not even pulling his gaze away from the stars. "In all but blood…" I responded before turning to him. He looked down from the stars at the floor before turning to me with a small smile on his face.

"What happened Percy?" I said gently, almost instantly regretting it when his eyebrows furrowed. He looked away from me and back up to the stars. He reached down into his pocket and pulled out a small folded piece of paper and handed it to me.

"I lost her…" is all he could mutter out, his voice cracking heavily. I opened the small piece of paper and came face to face with a picture of Annabeth. I stared at it for a few moments before some small writing in the corner tore my gaze.

 _Forever yours Seaweed Brain,_

 _Your Wise Girl,_

 _Annabeth X_

I felt guilt and sadness rise up inside me. My eyes began to fill with tears. I handed the photo back to Percy who took another look at it before folding it and sliding it back into his pocket. I looked at him sadly. This was as much as anyone had gotten out of him since he got back and I didn't want to say the wrong thing.

Percy took a deep breath. "When we fell into Tartarus, we both thought it was the end. But we both persevered because we had each other." He said turning his whole body to face me.

He began to tell me the story of what had happened from the moment he let go of the ledge. From the moment they crashed into the Cocytus, and then fought Arachne off. To them beginning following the Phlegethon and drinking the waters to sustain themselves. I wince and grimaced heavily at this part. I had been to the fields of punishment and saw the tortured souls being forced to drink it, so that they could continue being tortured for eternity. He then told me how they were later saved by Bob whilst they were fighting off a pack of empousia. I was actually relieved Bob had come to their aid. Percy had pushed him into the Lethe and wiped the Titan's memory, before handing him over to my father. He then told me how he had revealed the truth about Bob's origin to him, feeling guilty, because he had personally experienced how frustrating it was to lose his memories. And after Bob left them how they stumbled around until they came across a sobbing woman on a rock. I looked at him with a puzzled expression. Sobbing woman on a rock? In Tartarus? Hey began choking on his words as he described the following battle. Tears began streaming down his face as he told me how Annabeth had begun to stumble towards a cliff edge.

"I wasn't strong enough or fast enough to get to her. She fell through my grasp. It was my idea that we should approach the woman, Annabeth may still be alive if we hadn't gone with my plan." He sobbed out. My face was taught with shock. I quickly pulled him into a hug where he crashed onto my shoulder crying. I winced at how much guilt he must be feeling.

"Perce, I didn't feel her soul enter the underworld, which means she survived the fall." I whispered into his ear. He suddenly pulled away from me and from the look in his eyes, I knew I should have waited for him to continue.

"Nico, you don't understand. T-that cliff edge… I.. it didn't lead anywhere. It was just a v-void. It led to **the** _void._ " He said gently his eyes dropping from mine. "S-S-She isn't dead. She's just g-gon-e." he whimpered out. I sat there in silence staring at Percy with wide eyes trying to digest that nugget of information. If she had fallen into the void, that meant she was gone, gone. My dad had taught me about what happens when gods die. How they just fade from existence, into the ' _void'_. I gulped back a sob.

"I was so angry Nico. My world literally tuned red before I blacked out." He whispered.

He then explained how he woke up in the care of a giant and Bob. How the giant was Damasen, the bane of Ares, and was peaceful by nature. He then told me how he had survived the _arai_. How according to Bob, he had released a tremendous amount of power that shook Tartarus. I looked at him with a little awe. I knew Percy was powerful, but that just sounded incredible, minus the circumstance.

Percy then described how he trained with the help of Damasen and bob over the next few days to get him back up to strength as he had almost annihilated himself and how he closely bonded with the two.

He then finally described how he escaped Tartarus, with the aid of Bob. My face paled when I heard about how many monsters were waiting to move through the doors. And I realised that we would have been fighting all of them waiting for Percy to escape. I sent a silent prayer to Lady Tyche as thanks to how lucky the timing was.

When he got to the part where Koios agreed to aid him my eyebrows almost shot off my face. Then he told me how Tartarus appeared in a living form and my face paled. Then how Damasen had appeared and charged his father, whilst Bob and Koios fought back against the horde of monsters, all to get me out.

He choked back a sob "They were willing to sacrifice so much for me. Even Koios, who had never met me. All for a chance at peace." he said sadly. I was still sat in shock. There were elder giants and titans that didn't want to be involved in the wars and just wanted to live peacefully in the world. I had thought all but a few were evil. But according to Koios, less want war then Gaia claims.

I noticed the sky behind Percy beginning to turn a red colour. "And we will give it to them Perce." I said pointing towards the massive mountain that loomed in the distance.

"Thank you for this Nico. It helps." Percy said pulling me into another hug before retreating back down below. I shook myself off and shuddered after hearing what Percy had been through. Before heading back to my room.

 **A/N: Soz about how short this chapter is. Next one will be much longer.**

 **Also I'm not so much a fan of the second half of this chapter… but eh. I couldn't just jump straight to the battle with the giants from the ship, and I kinda wanted to set the story up for later on. Its been done awfully and I apologise, but whatever c:**

 **(In case you are wondering Percy did skip out on the Chaos and Kronos scenes. You'll see soon enough)**

 **Alsoooooo, tally so far:**

 **Artemis: 2**

 **Annabeth: 2**

 **Thalia: 1**

 **Zoë: 1 (Dafuq? That's gonna be interesting if she wins… You know. Because she's dead and all)**

 **Keep voting... It won't happen for some time. :D**

 **Also thanks for the positive feedback. It really drives me to work faster knowing you guys actually enjoy what I'm writing. Thaaaaaaaankkkksssss!**

 **New chapter will be up within a day or so as I'm eager to continue!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Dang, I've been kinda bombarded since last chapter. Thanks for all the positive reviews and messages. Means a lot you guys. :')**

 **I had lots of fun writing this chapter, which is why I wrote and edited the entire thing within a day of uploading my last chapter. Enjoyyyyyy!**

Chapter 6

Percy POV

I felt much better after confiding in Nico. I had been bottling up all my emotions since I had watched Annabeth fall into the void. I hadn't talked to anyone about it, not Bob or Damasen, or any of my friends. I couldn't hold it much longer and I was glad Nico had come up and talked with me. He had helped ease some of the guilt I was laden with.

I looked up from my bed to the clock on my bedside table. _**08:03**_ **.** I had been sat here, unable to sleep since dawn broke at around 4:30 this morning. I slipped off my bed, went for a quick shower and threw some clothes on. I checked that Riptide was in my pocket, which of course it was. Along with the photograph of Annabeth I had been given. I grabbed my armour; greaves, vambraces and breastplate from my armour stand before strapping it on. Gods know, I would need it today. I didn't normally wear a helmet other than when we played capture the flag because it obstructed my vision in combat, and I liked to be able to see my surroundings. Sure, it could deflect an arrow away. But I could successfully cut an arrow out of the air mid-flight, which was what I would be more likely to do than just take it on the head. And there's no way a helmet could stop a blow from a cyclops or laistrygonian. I had seen them crush metal like it was paper.

The Celestial Bronze glinted as I walked down the dark corridor, reflecting every bit of light it came across. It wasn't as shiny or protective as the Imperial Gold Roman armour. But what it lacked in extra defence, it made up for in mobility and weightlessness. The Roman armour was bulky, heavy and was meant to make the soldier wearing it an almost literal walking tank, in combination with their shield. The Greek cuirass however had no spaulders or pauldrons to cover up the arms, which left them more unprotected but gave the fighter much more mobility, speed and flexibility. Which I would happily take over extra armour. Greeks, other than when forming a phalanx, would normally fight alone, not as a solid unit like the romans. Which made the extra mobility and flexibility perfect for us.

I climbed a flight of stairs, took a sharp left and pushed open the door to the mess hall. All the other quest members were gathered round a map, munching on bits of food and occasionally pointing out to different locations. They hadn't heard me enter, so I quietly approached not wanting to make my presence known and slowly took a seat next to Frank who was hunched over, scribbling something on the map. Everyone was intently watching and hadn't noticed me sit down.

"You see guys? Porphyrion is most likely going to be in this clearing here." He said pointing to a large-ish clearing near the base of the mountain. "So, if we land here and approach on foot it will only be a ten minute walk. We don't want to risk them knocking us out of the sky." He said pointing to another small clearing a little further away. Everyone nodded, though some looked a little concerned about the plan.

"Look I know this plan is risky, but without Annabeth making the plans… I don't know." He looked down sadly. I winced at the name, I could feel my heart beating in my chest. It was true, without Annabeth who was our lead strategist, we were having a hard time agreeing on any plan. Frank was as close as we'd get, being a son of Mars, he was better at planning for battles than anyone else.

"Well I think it's a great idea Frank." I spoke up. Everybody's heads snapped towards me with wide eyes. Frank was so surprised he fell back off his chair and crashed down to the floor. They all stifled laughs at the sight of Frank, while Hazel just rolled her eyes. "Boys..." She muttered. That set Piper off in a fit of laughter. Soon we all joined in because of the flush of crimson on Franks face as he stood up.

Once we all got settled and began eating breakfast we continued to discuss our strategy for the coming battle.

"What do we know about the gods coming to aid us?" I asked. They all turned to me and Leo just shrugged before taking another bite of his bacon.

"We don't know. Athena said they would aid us in the battle. But we don't know when, or how." Hazel answered. Everyone looked down. The odds of this battle were not in our favour. I mumbled a silent prayer to Poseidon, asking for guidance. "Well we can only hope they do come." Jason said, before shovelling the last of his egg into his mouth. We all quickly finished eating and sat in silence for a few minutes. I stood up and re-adjusted my vambraces "You guys ready?" I asked. They all looked up at me a little sadly. None of us wanted to go into this fight. We had had enough trouble fighting one giant at a time, and now all of them were gathered somewhere below us. Leo stood up and smiled. "Let's kick some Giant butt."

-Line Break-

We anchored the Argo II where Frank had suggested and we were all gathered on the deck ready to head down to face the giants.

"Coach, stay on the ship and guard it." Jason said as we gathered up the last of our supplies. We each were armoured up in our chosen style. Jason, Frank and Hazel were wearing their Roman armour whilst Nico, Piper Leo and I had our Greek armour on. We each had a small leather pouch full of ambrosia, and a flask full of nectar at our hips. We would definitely need it, in case of injuries, or us being worn down to the point of exhaustion. We didn't know what to expect, so we each carried our own supplies.

"But I want to come and smack some _Giant_ brains." Coach retorted a little annoyed, trying to get up into Jason's face and failing, because of the massive height difference. "Coach we need someone to guard the ship. You have our permission to blow up anything that isn't us." Jason said, narrowing his eyes at coach. A moment passed as they continued to glare at each other. Before finally Coach muttered "Fine." stomping off and up to one of the ballistae before plopping himself down.

I strapped my flask of nectar to my hip, before re-tying the laces on my combat boots. I turned to look at my companions to see if they were ready.

Jason was adjusting his belt looking at the floor. His face was pale and beaded with sweat. I could see how nervous he was. I could tell he didn't want to screw up, especially if Zeus was coming to aid us. He had never met his father before and didn't want to give off the wrong impression. I could relate to that feeling. I had it the first time I had stepped into the Olympian throne room, where Zeus and Poseidon had just finished an argument. I was unbearably nervous of screwing up and I didn't want to disappoint him.

Piper was next to him, idly staring into Katropis's blade. She was nervously biting her lip. She had been in large battles before but nothing like what was coming. It would compare to the battle of Manhattan last year. Which I realised with a start. None of them, other than Nico had been in. And even then, Nico had come on the final morning with reinforcements. I sadly thought about all the brave souls that had died over those few days. And the small ring of campers and nature spirits that had defended Olympus in what we thought would have been our final moments.

Leo was next to Piper playing with a small ball of fire. It raced around his hand, curling up and around his fingers and rolling back down into his palm. He was entirely new to this, as opposed to Frank and Hazel. Who had already been in battles of sizeable proportion, like the one at Camp Jupiter.

Hazel was nervously twirling her sword infront of her, obviously trying to warm herself up. Frank was standing just behind her fiddling with her armour straps, to make sure they didn't get caught or come loose. And Nico was just standing there, with his eyes closed, leaning against the edge of the ship. I sighed. These guys were all such good friends of mine, I couldn't bear to lose any one of them. And I knew that they couldn't either. We had all bonded closely since the day we came together in New Rome. Nico and I had bonded further and were closer than we had ever been before. All of us had formed a friendship that you could only form in times of strife. We had each other's backs, and trusted each other with our lives.

"Guys..." I called out. They all slowly turned towards me and grouped up. Each of them looked at me expectantly whilst I looked for the right words to say. "I just… I just wanted you to know. You're all family to me. Even if we aren't... or... are related. You guys are like brothers and sisters to me." They all smiled. Small smiles, barely noticeable, but all there. "I'm not going to let any of you fall today. I hope you know that." I said with a little determination. It was true. I wouldn't let any of them die today. I couldn't bear the thought of losing another close friend.

Frank and Hazel looked down at the floor whilst tears began to build up in Pipers eyes. None of us were certain if we were even going to survive today. We were all so tense as we knew it could be the last day we were alive. "We will pull through this. We have more cause than Gaia to win… We aren't just fighting for our lives, but the lives of all our other brothers and sisters at both camps. Our friends and family as well as all the mortals. Fight for your friends and family's back home. Knowing that what we are about to do is going to save their lives." We stood in silence for a moment or two before Hazel gave me a teary smile and walked over to me. "Just in case Percy." She said mysteriously. She then threw her arms around me and pulled me into a hug. "GROUP HUG!" Leo yelled, causing a spout of laughter as we all grouped up into a hug. They all knew what I was implying. We may not survive today. But at least our family back home will.

We split up and began climbing down the side of the ship and onto the dusty floor below. We began walking towards the massive mountain that stood infront of us. It was almost a nice walk, other than the massive amount of pressure riding on our shoulders, or the thought of what was to come. As we walked I looked at the faces of each of the quest members. Jason and Piper were walking hand in hand as were Frank and Hazel. Nico was next to me and Leo way at the back. I drunk in the sight and memorised every little detail of each of their faces in case it was the last time I would see them.

Nico's long black hair, olive skin and onyx eyes. He had a little mole near his right eyebrow that I had never noticed before, it was normally hidden under his hair. His Stygian iron sword hung at his waist. He was walking next to me, hands in his pockets. His eyes were glazed over, showing he was deep in thought.

I turned to look at Jason. His once short blonde hair, had since grown out a little. His electric blue eyes radiated power and reminded me so much of his sisters, Thalia. She was one of my oldest and closest friends. And contrary to what most people believe we were very close. We had our moments with each other, but they were always very brief. People would usually assume we were brother and sister because of our dark hair, if you discounted the eyes. She was the same to me as Nico, sibling in all but blood.

Piper was walking next to Jason holding his hand. Her choppy chocolate brown hair was braided with a small pink flower. Even I had to admit she looked stunning, without ever even trying. She had become a lot more confident over the quest and seemed to have matured a little more, from looking like a teenage girl to looking more like a young woman. Katropis, the blade of Helen of Troy hung at her hip.

Frank, who how had somehow grown a few inches in a couple of days and now towered over everyone. Even me, at my height of 6'2. Frank seemed to have finally settled into his larger frame and no longer looked like a chubby, Canadian Asian baby but instead like a strong and confident leader. I smiled at the thought. He had always been so clumsy and awkward, never sure of himself. He had retained his clumsiness, but recently seemed much more attune and happy with himself. He had a bow slung over his back along with a large quiver of arrows.

Hazel with her curly cinnamon brown hair. She had a splash of freckles on her nose and her golden eyes shone. They were a soft golden colour, not like Kronos's, which were filled with a harsh golden light. She also seemed to have grown up and was very mature for the age of 13, which still shocked me. Although technically she was a lot older than that. She had her spatha hanging at her waist and it almost touched the floor because of the swords length.

Finally, Leo, at the back of our column. He was short and impish looking, he had almost pointed ears and a mischievous glint to his eyes, which could only be comparable to that of the children of Hermes. He was tinkering with something in his hands. He had his magic tool belt at his waist and his eyes were darting all over as we walked. I knew his mind never sat still and that his ADHD was a lot worse than most demi-gods. He couldn't ever not be doing something and he was always restless.

I turned back as we continued to walked for a few more minutes in silence. We passed through a small wooded area before coming out onto a massive plane near the base of Mount Olympus. We gathered up our courage, before continued walking towards the large black mess infront of us. A large army of monsters had come together and were formed in ranks, quietly watching us approach. They were easily 40 or 50 across and at least 15 rows back. Even with Math being one of my worst subjects, I knew that there were at least five hundred or more monsters infront of us. Thankfully I didn't see any drakons or large more powerful monsters. But still. That was a lot of monsters for us to fight. A row of larger figures were stood infront of the army. They each had scaly dragon legs, and were dressed in a variety of colours.

Porphyrion stepped forward. He was dwarfing his brothers, and that was saying something seeing as they were _'Giants'_. He was easily 50ft tall and packed with muscles, his hair glinting from the weapons that were braided into it. Eight more giants stepped up with him. My mind was racing, nine Giants and an army of monsters against the seven of us? I had no idea how we were going to survive this.

I recognised many of the giants walking towards us just because of their looks. There was Porphyrion, leading the spear head, to his left was Enceladus, Bane of Athena with his black dreadlocks and 'flame' designed armour.

A hulking giant in a blacksmiths apron was lumbering next to Enceladus. He had scaly black dragon legs and oily black hair that was braided with copper wires and circuit boards. I could only guess this was the bane of Hephaestus, Mimas.

Next to him were two rather athletic looking giants. One had a pair of winged shoes on over his 'burnt' orange dragon legs He was wearing a velour sky blue tracksuit that was almost as bad as something that Otis and Ephialtes would wear. His long black hair was greased back. I could only guess that this was Hippolytos, bane of Hermes, due to his winged shoes. The other giant was wearing a deerskin instead of armour, unlike most of the other giants. He had two wicked hunting knifes at his hips and shaggy brown hair. This must be Gration, Giant of the Hunt and bane of Artemis.

To Porphyrion's right was a large giant with snakes for hair that I recognised instantly. He was staring at me bitterly as we approached each other. Polybotes, bane of my father, Poseidon was most likely angry as when we last fought I buried a statue in his head.

Next to Polybotes was a giant with golden skin and golden dragon legs. He wore no armour to cover up his fuzzy chest. He had the head of a lion. Leon the bane of Apollo was snarling, saliva dripping from his fangs.

Next to him was a large… female giant, with long blonde hair. I had to do a double take. She was wearing a pink breastplate and her legs were the same green colour as a few of the other Giants. From the way she was staring at Piper I could only guess it was Periboia, the bane of Aphrodite.

Finally, on the end of the line was a shrivelled, old giant with ratty grey hair and milky white eyes. His dragon legs were the colour of frost, which really distinguished him from the others. He wore no armour, but instead a sack cloth tunic. I tried to rack my brain and figure out who this Giant was, but I couldn't pair him up with anyone of the Olympians.

We stopped around 50ft infront of the giant's line.

Porphyrion narrowed his eyes. "Brave of you demi-gods to come sacrifice yourselves to us. Foolish, but brave." He roared through an evil smirk. All the giants and monsters began cackling and licking their lips in anticipation.

"We needed two half-bloods to water the earth and raise our mother. Looks like our lucky day as seven of you have come." I narrowed my eyes at what he had just said, and then it hit me. That explained their repeated attempts to capture us, and keeping Nico alive in that jar. They needed two half-bloods to wake Gaia. Jason voiced my thoughts exactly by mumbling "Oh shit." under his breath. We had played right into their trap and were now heavily outnumbered. "Your precious camp is moments from being annihilated. We shall begin our new age by slaughtering you all." Porphyrion said with a smirk. I clenched my fists so hard my knuckles turned white and I drew blood from the palms of my hands.

"Let's finish this then." I yelled, turning to my friends and giving them a nod. I had come to the realisation that we were probably about to die. And there was no way we could escape. Our friends were at camp half-blood about to fight and kill each other along with an untold number of monsters. And the gods were nowhere to be seen.

"it's been nice knowing you guys." Leo said solemnly, pulling two ball-peen hammers from his belt and setting them ablaze. With that the giants and monsters surged forward. I pulled riptide out of my pocket and drew it. As I did a flash of light behind us halted the charge of all the monsters and Giants. I turned around to find a familiar looking man with sea green eyes and dark hair with a well-kept beard. He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts. Next to him was a tall man with a neatly trimmed beard and a dark blue pinstripe suit. Zeus stepped forward next to Jason and summoned his master bolt in a flash of lightning. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Porphyrion.

Next to Leo was a massive hulk of a man holding a gigantic sledge hammer his beard was sizzling, and small patches had erupted into flames. Hades stepped forward to my right and placed a hand on both Hazel and Nico's shoulders. Aphrodite was stood next to Piper, batting her eye lashes at Mars, who was next to Frank. Apollo stood side by side with Artemis, with Athena next to them. Hermes stood on the other side of Apollo staring down the field at the giants. Other than Hera and Demeter and Dionysus, all of the Olympians had come, as well as Hades.

"Did you really think we wouldn't come?" Poseidon asked me quietly. I shrugged, happy to see my dad, and happy to know that he would come to my aid. "Always my son." He said, a small smile appearing on his face as if he'd read my mind. I turned and looked over at Athena who was standing alone and bowed my head sadly. Poseidon obviously picked up on this and looked over as well. His eyes widened but he didn't say anything. We both turned to face Zeus.

"-ack to whence you came!" Zeus thundered. I had completely missed his extravagant speech to the Giants, not that I cared too much. I hadn't seen my dad since just after the end of the Second Titan War, where he appeared on the beach to talk to me. After that I was kidnapped by Hera, and have since been on pretty much a non-stop quest. My thoughts drifted to my mom. I hadn't seen her since around that time as well. If I survived this she is definitely going to kill me. She must be tearing her hair out with worry. I don't know if she even knew where I was standing or what was about to happen.

"ENOUGH TALK PORPHYRION!" Zeus bellowed, hurtling his master bolt straight at Porphyrion, who swiftly dodged it. The resulting explosion left a chunk of the monster's army as nothing more than ash. I looked up at Poseidon one more time before turning and charging with the rest of the gods and quest members.

I went straight for Polybotes, who was beckoning me forward.

"I'm going to kill your little brat Poseidon, I'm going to make you watch as-ACK" was as far as he got before a blast of blue energy smacked him in the face and threw him backwards to the floor. I rushed forward and plunged Riptide hilt deep into his scaly calf. He roared in outrage and smacked me backwards. I crashed into an undignified heap before quickly leaping to my feet again. Polybotes was already on his feet, his face half blackened from the impact of the energy that Poseidon had blasted him with. He charged forward trying to jab at me with his own trident, but was hastily stopped as Poseidon blocked with his own and locked in combat with him. While Polybotes was distracted I raced round behind him and ripped my sword out of his calf. He screamed with pain and looked down at me with a fierce glare. Whilst he was distracted with me Poseidon had enough time to sweep his legs out from under him throwing him to the floor. To which I had to hastily roll away to avoid being crushed.

I was about to attack again when Polybotes released a blast of power that threw the both of us away from him. I crashed onto my back, feeling like my spine had just been broken in half. I slowly sat up wincing at the cracks my back made. I saw Polybotes limping towards my father who was still down on the floor, with his face in the dirt. I quickly got to my feet and pulled a small piece of ambrosia out of my satchel. It had almost all crumbled apart from my impact, but I found a sizeable chunk and bit down on it. Instantly feeling revitalised I rushed forward.

Polybotes was now looming above my father. He rolled him over with his foot, brandishing his trident ready to impale Poseidon. I took control of the water in my body and poured on the speed. I leapt forward slicing the giants left hand clean off. He looked down at it for a moment with a confused expression before dropping his trident and screaming in pain. I turned quickly and performed three quick slashes at his mid-section. Ichor flew everywhere, splattering to the ground. He stumbled back, as I stood protectively in front of my father. In one last fit of rage Porphyrion leapt forward, attempting to squash me into the floor like a pancake by smacking his remaining hand down flat. I quickly turned to the side and made myself as flat as possible. His hand slammed down right next to me. I was stood in between his middle and ring finger. I gave him an evil smirk as his eyes widened. I slammed Riptide straight through the back of his hand and into the ground, before twisting it locking his hand to the floor.

Porphyrion screamed in pain as Poseidon climbed back on his feet behind me before ramming his trident straight into Polybotes chest. Like an acrobat, I ripped my sword out of his hand and leapt up, swinging around my dad's trident and jamming my sword into Polybotes heart. With a last gurgle of blood flowing from his mouth Polybotes collapsed onto the floor and began to dissolve. I looked up at Poseidon and he gave me a nod and a smile before we turned our attention to the rest of the battle.

Zeus and Porphyrion were battling each other, sending punishing blows of lighting at each other. I watched as Jason flew down trying to get a sneaky attack in, but was smacked out of the way by Porphyrion and went crashing down. I winced at the impact.

Closest to them Hermes and Hippolytos were rushing around each other at maddening speeds, throwing fast, accurate blows but missing due to the others speed. I saw Leo and Hephaestus beating the nine shades of hades out of Mimas with their hammers, who was sprawled out on the floor. A sickening crunch resonated every time a hammer connected. I saw Aphrodite and Piper dancing around Periboia, using charm speak to basically make her fight herself. She was constantly smacking herself in the face and tripping herself up. Every time Periboia would actually get a successfully strike, one of the two would yell "MISS!" and her attack would veer off to the side. Near them I saw Leon fall to the ground his body absolutely littered with golden arrows. I took a quick glance at the army of monsters which I had almost completely forgotten about, and saw them engaged with an army of skeletal warriors with Hades and Nico at the front. I sighed in relief, we wouldn't have been able to fight off both Giants and monsters. We would have been overwhelmed quickly. I saw a giant elephant smashing through a group of laistrygonians, whilst a battle crazed Mars hacked and slashed his way through monsters, letting out a cry of glee every time a limb went flying.

"Percy!" I turned to look at my dad who was trying to get my attention. He pointed at Athena and I understood straight away what he meant. Athena, was cut up and bruised. She was pinned down on the floor, struggling to hold Enceladus's spear near the tip as he was trying to force it into her chest. We both quickly raced over towards her, my dad running faster and faster with every step. He took off ahead of me and when he got close enough dived and tackled Enceladus off a very surprised looking Athena. They crashed into the ground and my dad began throwing blow after blow after blow into his face. I ran up to Athena and helped her to her feet. She narrowed her eyes and gave me a knowing glare to which I responded with my own that said " _not now please"_. She nodded before we both ran over to Poseidon, who was still pummelling the giant. When I reached him I winced as I saw what my father had done to Enceladus's face. It was coated with dark purple/black coloured bruises and the skin was split all over his face. Ichor was leaking off his face and beginning to pool underneath his head. He was screaming in pain as my father gave one last massive punch to his face before stepping off for Athena and smiling at her. His clothes were splattered with Ichor, and it was dripping off his clenched fists. She looked down at me with raised eyebrows and a questioning look. I shrugged. She then summoned her spear and rammed it through Enceladus's throat.

"Perseus, would you do me the honour." She said, pushing her spear a little further through the giant's convulsing body. I nodded before stabbing Riptide into his brain. He disintegrated without another word.

I turned around to observe the rest of the battle. Hades was summoning wave after wave of undead out of a massive crack in the ground, reinforcing the skeletal lines, which were struggling against the onslaught of monsters.

I turned my attention back to the giants and saw a scene I hope to forget. The three Fates were on top of the old, wrinkled giant beating him with metal clubs. Leo was sliding towards them apprehensive to get involved, wincing every time a club connected. He eventually reached them and was standing above the old Giants head. He gave a quick smack to the giant's head with one of his hammers and the giant crumbled to dust. Leo quickly sprinted away from the old ladies. I probably would have done the same thing. They were terrifying enough when they weren't armed with heavy spiked clubs. The thought alone made me shudder.

I saw Aphrodite and Piper struggling against their own giant as she appeared to be somewhat resisting their charmspeak now.

"Athena! Go help your father!" Poseidon yelled, gesturing to Zeus, who was currently taking a beating from the Porphyrion without the help of Jason. She nodded and raced off. "Percy, let's go lend aid to Aphrodite!" Poseidon said. I nodded but as I was about to charge in I notice a fight at the edge of the battle. I saw a certain silver eyed goddess get knocked off her feet by a wide swing from Gration. Hazel snuck up and stabbed him through the back of the knee. Gration roared before batting her away and turning his attention back to Artemis. He smirked and raised his daggers.

Suddenly the ground rumbled as if the entire Earth was… screaming.

"THE EARTH MOTHER IS AWAKE!" Porphyrion roared in glee only to be silence when Zeus's master bolt connected with his forehead and sent him flying. She needed two half-bloods to water the ground though? Jason and Hazel. they can't be d-dead? I looked back to the spot where Artemis was, and saw her being shackled in celestial bronze chains by Gration, who was licking his lips. He began dragging her away from the battle while she kicked and screamed. My eyes widened and I rushed forward.

I burst through the small wooded area and into a clearing. Gration shrieked with glee as he reached down and tore a massive chunk off Artemis's clothing. I knew exactly what he was trying to do. I sprinted towards the two and when I got within 20ft I slammed my foot down causing a small earthquake, knocking Gration off as he'd begun grabbing and groping her body. Artemis turned towards me shaking, fear stretched across her face, tears in her eyes. The moment she saw me her eyes flashed with so much relief. She looked ready to be sick. And I couldn't blame her. I ran forward as Gration returned to his feet and gave me a hateful glare.

"You will not stop me from taking my prize, worm!" He roared in anger. I stepped infront of Artemis and raised my sword. "I will not let you touch her." I shouted back. We circled each other for a moment or two before He thrust his knife at me with the speed of a panther. Without my training I would have been dead from that first strike. I swiftly dodged to the side as he turned his attack and slashed at me. I dodged again, just barely. I could feel the air particles move out of the way as the blade came within an inch of my throat. Just as quickly as before he sent another, this time an overhead strike came down. I would have been cut in half if I wasn't ready for this one. I swiftly rolled forward straight between his legs and came up driving my sword straight into his backside, before releasing it and rolling to avoid him swiping at me with his free hand. Instead he whirled around the other way and cut a massive gash into my arm with his knife, which promptly began spurting out blood. I winced in pain and backed up a few steps as he ripped Riptide out and cast it behind him.

"You have no sword now boy… What are you going to do now?" He said with a smirk, limping towards me. I knew Riptide wouldn't be back in my pocket yet and I didn't want to bring out Cross-Current just yet. I frantically looked around, as I backed up. Gration stalked towards me, a twisted smile on his face.

A glimmer of gold on the giant's forearm drew my attention and I had sudden idea, flashing back to what I had heard Damasen and Bob speaking of when I had first awoken in his hut. I focused on the Ichor dripping from the giant's arm, I felt a swelling feeling in my stomach like waves crashing against a dam. I focused on my anger, my rage. I thought of Gaia taunting me about Annabeth as she fell. The waves began getting bigger and bigger crashing more aggressively against the dam, my anger swelling in tandem, until suddenly... The dam broke.

 _Thump Thump._

 _Thump Thump._

I could feel his heartbeat, the ichor circling around his body, the liquids in the Giant's, stomach, inside his mouth. I could feel his entire body.

"Hahahahah... You will die now demi-god!" He shrieked, sure of his victory. I thrust my hand out as if I was gripping something. The giant stopped cold in his tracks his eyes going wide, whilst he looked down at his body. I twisted my hand and watched in disgusted fascination as the Giant's knee began to twist.

 _Snap._

Gration's knee twisted and contorted at a horrifying angle before completely breaking his leg. He roared in pain and collapsed onto his good knee, screaming bloody murder at me. Sweat began to trickle off my brow, but I ignored it tunring my attention to the Giant's arms. I smiled evilly at him as I watched his arms begin to bend, hyper extending, turning back inwards on themselves snapping and breaking.

Gration was no longer screaming, but instead was begging me to stop. I had never thought I'd see a Giant cry. I began to feel my anger subside, the walls of the dam began to build themselves back up. The rage inside beginning to cool off. My eyes widened at what I had done to the Giant. My head began to spin and my vision turned fuzzy. I turned to my side and threw up my breakfast.

Gration continued to scream in pain as I turned from him to Artemis, who was staring at me with wide eyes. After a moment of attempting to catch my breath I plucked a key off the giants writhing form, and stumbled over to Artemis, still feeling slightly nauseous. She was breathing heavily and had a nasty cut on her head.

"Lady Artemis. Are you okay?" I asked gently as I unshackled her. The second the chains dropped off her she lunged forward and pulled me into a hug. My eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. I didn't dare return the hug, as I would probably end up being a small fuzzy animal.

"T-Thank you Perseus." She stammered out breaking off from the hug with tears streaking down her face. She saw my eyes and my obviously bright red face and narrowed her eyes at me. "If you ever speak of that, I don't care that you saved me again. I will show no mercy." She said in a harsh but playful tone. "Y-yes milady." Is all I could stutter out. Still in shock that Artemis, the man-hating goddess had just hugged me. "Now…" She said turning to a whimpering Gration. She summoned her knives and walked towards him. I winced as she began slashing at him, avoiding all areas that would cause fatal injury, filling him with deep cuts and causing him as much physical pain as possible. Ichor leaked out of him like a waterfall and began to from a small lake underneath him. Damn I really don't want to get on Artemis's bad side. I watched as she continued to rip away his flesh until he was little more than a pile of meat. He slowly dissolved apart into dust. Artemis spat at his remains before turning to me. I looked away from her face and down to the shredded remains of her hunter gear. My face turned crimson and I instantly looked away turning my back to her. Her top had almost completely come apart, leaving little more than a silver bra left covering her up. Her taught and well-toned stomach was well out for show. Her black camo trousers had slightly ripped at the waist as well, revealing a pair of silver panties and the top of a pair of long athletic legs.

"Perseus?" She questioned… Oh shit. This isn't good. Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me. Please, please, please don't kill me.

"Lady Artemis. Y.. Y-You're uh…" I said refusing to turn to face her. My face was burning. "Well, what is it?" She asked in a slightly irritated tone. I let out a little breath and gulped. "Well… ahh… You're not exactly… uhh… d-decent." I said trembling. I knew this was a death wish, but I wasn't exactly going to let her run back out into battle wearing barely anything.

"Huh?" she questioned, which was then closely followed by an ear-splitting scream. A moment later I heard her snap her fingers. I still didn't dare turn back and remained facing away with my eyes closed. I heard someone clear their throat infront of me. I slowly opened one eye to meet a very harsh silver gaze. I winced a little.

"This never happened… DID IT!" She raged at me giving me a gaze that could rival Medusa's. I wanted to curl up into a ball and die.

"What happened milady? I don't know what you're talking about." I quickly responded. My lower lip shaking.

"Good." She replied before turning on her heel and marching back off towards the battle, which was slowly coming to a close. I began breathing again, having held my breath the entire time. She didn't murder me. I just saw Artemis in her underwear and she didn't kill me… Not that I'm complaining. I quickly followed her taking sips out of my canteen.

As we returned, I saw Porphyrion kneeling, covered in ichor, surrounded by the rest of the gods. The other Giants had been killed and the army of monsters had been reduced to dust. The field was splattered with ichor and mounds of monster dust. Massive craters had formed from different impacts. I gave a sigh of relief seeing Jason and Hazel both alive and standing, along with Leo, Piper, Frank and Nico.

"It does not matter that I fall today. Gaia has risen. You stand no chance." Porphyrion gurgled out. Spitting a lump of ichor to the ground at Zeus's feet. Zeus raised his master bolt and literally turned the Giant King to a pile of golden ash.

Zeus gave a smug look before turning to face the rest of the gods.

"Porphyrion may be dead, but Gaia is awake. We must make haste to Camp Half-blood." I had completely forgotten about camp. It was under attack by Romans and an army of monsters. All the gods nodded before Poseidon placed a hand on my shoulder and flashed me to Half Blood Hill.

3rd Person POV

Half Blood Hill was a sea of absolute chaos. It began when the campers of Camp Half-Blood arrived at the top of the hill next to Thalia's tree ready to charge down. The Legion advanced in formation ready to meet them with Octavian's _Auxiliary_ forces being the flanking or second wave of attack. Reyna had heavily protested against the use of those forces, but she had lost a lot of power and respect at Camp Jupiter for allowing the Greeks in. Octavian had seized power and all Reyna could do is work to undermine him or make sure his plans didn't come fruition. She had sabotaged the shipment of Onagers to make sure they couldn't be used. She had also called for aid from Lupa to come smack some sense into Octavian, but he had since chained her and her pack up. Calling them apparent traitors. Nobody in the Legion but Octavian's closest knew of this, other than Reyna. She had no way of proving it to the senate so could not bring the evidence forth without looking crazy and being removed from power.

The battle was about to start when an un-earthly scream sounded from the ground below them shaking them all. When the Legion had recovered, another few thousand monsters had poured out of the woods behind them and now they were surrounded on three sides, with Camp Half-Blood being the forth. The demi-gods had since quickly banded together. The five cohorts of the Legion were all spread out in defensive squares, with the campers from Camp Half-blood acting as security for any monsters that got past and into the square, or filling any holes where a roman camper fell. The middle of each square was filled with archers and hunters as well as many injured or dead campers. The small islands of campers were slowly getting smaller and smaller as each time another camper fell, they would have to close the gap and make the square smaller. Many Greek campers, like Clarisse La Rue and the Stolls had picked up fallen Roman's shields and joined the line.

Clarisse now stood shoulder to shoulder with Reyna, in the second Cohorts lines fighting back wave after wave of monsters. She watched as a camper near her batted away a cyclops with his shield, only for a hellhound to leap forward half a second later and grab his leg. Quickly dragging him into the monster's lines, whilst the kid screamed in pain. Clarisse grimaced, and turned towards Reyna.

"We can't keep this up for long." She yelled as she impaled another Telekhine through the throat. Reyna stabbed another dracaenae before sending a silent prayer to the gods, begging for aid. A group of laistrygonians began charging forward, ready to crash into the line and break their square. A bright flash up next to Thalia's tree, stopped all of the fighting. Reyna gasped as the first thing she noticed, along with many of the campers was the 40ft tall statue of Athena glowing brightly with a powerful aura. Below the statue were a group of people, who were crackling with power.

"RALLY TO THE HILL!" Thalia's voice rang out as the campers and hunters quickly retreated backwards and up the hill towards the group of gods. A few campers were caught behind, being cut down by arrows, or other thrown weapons. Before being dragged back into the enemy army.

The campers quickly reformed their lines, standing shoulder to shoulder, Greek and Roman. Leaving a parting in the middle for the gods and demi-gods of the 7 to walk through and join up with them. They all looked at each other nervously as a horde of thousands upon thousands of monsters began charging towards them

"FOR OLYMPUS!" Zeus's voice rung out as the campers charged forward, with renewed vigour. As the lines were about to clash a massive earthquake erupted sending everyone, even the gods to their knees.

" _ **AWAKE!"**_ A voice screamed and an ear-splitting screech of victory was heard. The ground infront of the monsters began to surge up until it formed a 30ft tall woman, with flowing earth for skin and an earthy green robe on. Her eyes shot open and they were a solid green colour, that shone with destructive power. Many of the campers winced and screamed in fear. Even some of the gods faces paled at the sight. All the monsters behind her bowed down to their mistress.

Zeus was the first to recover from shock and hefted his master bolt ready to obliterate Gaia. As quick as the eye could follow the Earth surged up around him to neck height, before locking him in place. Hades and Poseidon rushed forward to try and aid their brother but also found themselves quickly locked in place. The Earth then rose around all of the campers, hunters and gods and they were all quickly locked in place and at the mercy of Gaia.

Many of the gods and a few campers gave Gaia a look of defiance while the rest whimpered in fear. She took a huge step towards Zeus.

"Now, now, Zeus. Did you really think you had a chance?" she spoke. The voice emanating from the ground, as opposed to her mouth. Percy visibly flinched at this, as it reminded him of Tartarus and how he spoke. Gaia noticed the slight movements and jerked her head towards Percy. An evil smile began to creep up her face.

"Ah, the infamous Perseus Jackson…" She thundered with frightening glare. Percy just narrowed his eyes at her and remained silent. She scowled at the lack of response and wrenched her gaze back to Zeus.

Unbeknownst to her Percy was quietly vibrating the earth around him. As Gaia, stepped closer to Zeus with an evil smile, Percy leant his head over to Jason who was little more than a foot away from him. "Jason…" Percy whispered, his face beginning to bed with sweat at the amount of energy it was taking to loosen his bonds.

"Percy? What are you-" Jason started before the look Percy was giving him silenced him. "Can you control the winds?" Percy asked in a deadly serious tone. Jason winced a little before nodding. "Then boost me." Percy said simply before adding more pressure to his earthen bonds.

"-Going to slaughter you all" Gaia finished glaring down at Zeus with malice. All the gods were still frozen in shock and fear. "Not if I have anything to do about it." Percy called out. Everyone turned to him with wide eyes shocked that he had the nerve to defy and speak out against Gaia, none more so than Gaia herself. She stomped towards Percy and when she got within 10 meters she stopped and narrowed her eyes.

"And what… Young _hero_ do you propose you're going to do about it?" she sneered. Nobody could believe it. Percy was facing down Gaia. A demi-god, son of Poseidon, facing down one of the most powerful beings to ever exist. You could hear a pin drop as everyone watched silently.

Gaia was irritated and had only just woken up. She was not paying full attention to what was happening as she stared down at Percy's defiance, rage building in her.

He cocked his head and smiled. Percy's earthen bonds suddenly and unexpectedly exploded outwards and he was in a full sprint before anybody could blink. Gaia was in such shock that someone had broken out that she didn't even notice what Percy was doing before he leaped up into the air, receiving a boost from Jason, twisting the ring on his left hand and plunging his sword directly into Gaia's black heart.

Gaia crashed to the ground from the impact of Percy smashing into her. She blinked and saw Percy staring down at her, his sword plunged hilt deep into her torso. His eyes, shone with an ethereal sea green fire. Gaia's eyes were so wide with shock that someone had the balls to even speak back to her, much less directly attack her.

"I'm going to do _this."_ Percy spat out before ripping his sword out and slashing it across Gaia's throat, cutting her jugular open. Gaia coughed up a fountain of blood, still staring directly back into Percy's eyes with shock. A moment later a blinding green light and shockwave exploded out from Gaia forcing everyone, including the gods to look away. Many of the monsters weren't expecting it and were instantly vaporised by the blast. When the light died down all the Gods, demi-gods and monsters stared back in absolute fear and awe. Gaia was gone. And Percy's bloody, blackened form lay where Gaia was once lying, crumbled in a heap. The earthen bindings holding the gods, hunters and campers crumbled back to the floor. A few moments passed where everyone, monsters included, just stared at Percy. Nobody said a word. Everyone was still trying to digest the atomic blast that had gone off in their minds.

Percy Jackson had just single-handedly killed Gaia.

The monsters were the first to recover, and what was left of their army turned and fled back into the forest. Another few moment of silence passed before Zeus managed to speak up. "I…Gu….Wh…..He…" he stuttered out. Still staring with wide eyes at Percy's form on the floor

Poseidon was standing there, both hands gripping his hair, with eyes wider than anyone else's. he seemed to be pulled out of his daze when he noticed the severity of Percy's injuries.

"Apollo!" Poseidon yelled before sprinting down to his son's side. Apollo snapped out of his daze and followed suit, running after Poseidon. Still in shock at what had just happened. A few moments later the rest of the gods and demi-gods surged forward trying to get a look at what was going on.

Apollo placed his hand on Percy's bloody chest, before sending pulses of golden light into him. Apollo began wincing, and straining, sweat beaded his forehead. "Posei-" Was as far as he got before Poseidon also kneeled down and began sending his own sea green pulses into Percy. His body began to heal. His bloody half began to clear of burns and the massive cuts and broken bones started to heal. He eventually returned to his normal form. Albeit his clothes had almost entirely singed off from the power Gaia had released, showing off his eight pack and well-toned muscles. All the campers were staring at the unconscious form before them.

"Oh my gods... he's so hot!" Aphrodite squeaked drooling a little bit. Before hastily backing away from him, when Poseidon's eyes began to literally glow in anger.

"Now is _**not**_ the time Aphrodite." Poseidon said in a steely calm tone his voice so full of power that everyone flinched. His eyes soon returned to their normal colour as he turned back to Apollo who was still sending pulses of golden light into him.

"Will he be okay?" Poseidon asked kneeling down next to him. It was the question everyone wanted answered. The man who had just saved Olympus... again, was he going to survive? Many of the demi-gods had tears tracing down their eyes. All of the seven, as well as Thalia, the Stolls, Katie, Nyssa, and many others that had known Percy were out right crying. Even a few of the Gods had tears in their eyes.

Apollo stood up, his head beaded with sweat, his face a sickly green colour. He didn't answer but only nodded. That gave everyone the re assurance the needed as they let out a collective gasp.

He was going to live.

 **A/N: Hey guys! It's currently errrr 03:54 a.m.**

 **I really wanted to get this chapter out ASAP as it was a lot of fun to write. I have been sat for the past few hours editing this chapter. I enjoyed writing it and hope you get as much enjoyment reading it as I did writing it.**

 **I had to include this under here because I almost puked with laughter when I was re-reading and editing. There was one line that I came across that was supposed to say "Nico and I had bonded and were even closer than we had ever been before." but instead said "Nico and I had boned, and were now closer than we had ever been before." and I just died with laughter.**

 **Votes since yesterday: :)**

 **Artemis: 3**

 **Thalia: 3**

 **Annabeth: 2**

 **Zoë: 2**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Overwhelmingly positive reviews on last chapter. Thank you, guys, SOOOOOOO much.**

Chapter 7

3rd Person POV

 _He was going to live…_

"Emergency council meeting. NOW!" Zeus thundered out making everyone flinch. "Bring the heroes of the seven. Artemis, bring Thalia." Zeus said before disappearing in a bolt of thunder. The seven of the prophecy grouped up together and disappeared in a flash of light along with almost all the other gods.

Apollo snapped his fingers and a stretcher appeared under Percy. Together he and Poseidon flashed to the throne room with Percy.

The campers all just stared in shock at the spot where Percy had been lying. The events of the past few minutes was a lot to digest. Eventually they broke apart, heading to help with the wounded and clean themselves up. Of the 350 odd campers and hunters around one hundred had lost their lives in the battle. Many more were grievously wounded and were quickly rushed to the infirmary.

Chiron galloped from camper to camper to hunter giving as much aid as possible, un-caring of which pantheon they descended from, healing and giving those who couldn't walk a ride down to camp. Even the hunters of Artemis sent their best healers to aid, though they wouldn't go anywhere near the boys, it was a relief to the campers as many of their own healers had fallen in battle.

Chiron called an emergency meeting of the camp counsellors as well as Reyna to assess the damage and discuss arrangements. They met in the big house rec room around the ping pong table. All the campers were silent, exhausted after the day's events.

"Where is Will?" Chiron asked walking in. He looked as if he'd aged a thousand years, he had deep bags under his eyes and they were rimmed in red. "He wouldn't leave the infirmary." Connor Stoll answered. He was sat next to his brother, Travis, who was quietly comforting Katie. "Ah..." Chiron responded plainly.

A few moments passed before Chiron spoke up again. He had wanted to avoid the subject all together, but he knew it couldn't be.

"Do we know how many?" he asked gently. It was a very sore subject and nobody truly knew the answer. Many of the campers flinched, whilst some started a new round of silent tears.

"Close to one hundred in total Chiron, not including the wounded." Clarisse answered blankly, standing from her seat. Clarisse was never one to shy away from an ugly truth, and would step up when she knew others couldn't. She also had red-rimmed eyes, but like Reyna, refused to show emotion. All the heads in the room fell and a heavy grief set upon the campers.

"And Gaia's army?" Chiron asked, wanting to quickly change the subject of their fallen comrades. "Most were killed when P-Percy…" Reyna spoke up with a little sob escaping her lips. She had been very fond of Percy. She loved him for his courage, bravery and honour. Markings of any true great leader. But what most stuck out to her, as it did for almost everyone else, was his sense of loyalty. She had had a crush on him since he appeared at Camp Jupiter, which had only further developed when she saw what he was capable of. Someone she could depend on to lead at her side.

"And the rest fled." Reyna said clearing herself up, not wanting to show any weakness. All the campers noticed it, but none remarked on it. Chiron winced at the name of one of his favourite students. He had seen what Percy had done on the hillside, although he was too far away to see the aftermath.

"That's enough for one day, I believe. Rest and lend aid where you can." Chiron said before turning and walking out through the door. It had been a tough day.

Percy POV

Well that sucked.

As I slowly regained consciousness the first thing that hit me was the mind shattering headache. It felt like someone was knocking on the inside of my brain with a pneumatic drill. I could vaguely hear talking around me.

I hoped that my friends are okay and that I'd injured Gaia enough for one of the gods to finish her off. I was hopeful, though I knew it was unlikely. All I could remember was thrusting my sword into Gaia's heart before a vaguely similar red haze took over my memory and a massive explosion turned my world black.

"Moooooooooo." An animal to my left said a little contently. I slowly opened my eyes expecting to see a blue sky above but was met by a starry sky covered in constellations. I narrowed my eyes at the sky. I hadn't been asleep that long had I? It was just before mid-day when we had arrived at camp.

Then I noticed the white marble walls and columns of the structure I was laying in. I tilted my head to the left and saw an old friend with big brown eyes staring back at me. Bessie gave me a half-hearted moo before swimming in a circle.

"And let us not forget the bravery of each God and demi-god who gave their lives to stop Gaia." Zeus announced from the other side of the room. I slowly turned my head to face the rest of the throne room. All of the Olympians and Hades were gathered in council. My mind began racing, we must have won the war. Gaia must have been put back to sleep.

I looked down at my body to find myself in a white linen t-shirt, my blue jeans and a pair of black combat boots on. I was lying on a stretcher in the corner of the throne room next to Bessie the Ophiotaurus. I quietly sat up from my bed. My bones were aching but other than that I felt alright. I quickly checked myself for injury and to my surprise, found that they had all been healed.

I slid off the bed and quietly made my way over. All of the Olympians were sat in their respective thrones. Jason, Leo, Piper, Frank, Hazel and Nico were all stood before the council. Thalia was sat at the foot of Artemis's throne. All the gods were so focused on Zeus and his speech that none of them noticed me approach. I quietly sat down next to a young girl with brown hair, who was tending to the hearth.

I sat quietly watching Zeus, not wanting to interrupt. I know how much he loves his speeches after all. "Thanks to these heroes before us, the rift has been healed!" he bellowed receiving a few blushes from the seven as the attention was turned to them.

I moved one of my hands up to wipe some of the sleep out of my eyes. As I did Hestia's head snapped towards me with wide eyes, a startled look on her face, which was quickly replaced by a warm smile. She looked straight into my eyes with a small frown on her face. A few moments later she put a hand on my shoulder and I felt a warmth seep into my body from her touch.

Suddenly images rushed through my mind.

 _The Argo II,_

 _The ocean,_

 _The city of Rome,_

 _The coliseum,_

 _Twin giants with snake for feet. One wearing a pink tutu,_

 _A gaping hole in a carpark,_

 _The Athena Parthenos,_

 _Me holding on to a cliff edge looking up at Nico,_

 _Arachne,_

 _The alter of Hermes,_

 _Akhlys perched on a rock,_

 _Annabeth's face,_

 _The gaping Abyss,_

 _A small hut in a muddy swamp made of bones and leather,_

 _A bowl of drakon stew,_

 _The deep purple eyes of a tall woman, her skin black, covered in tiny white dots,_

 _A set of golden eyes boring into me,_

 _A ring on my left hand,_

 _Spider-rat creatures ripping a corpse apart,_

 _A mountain, the screams of tortured souls escaping_

 _Thousands upon thousands of monsters surrounding a set of elevator doors,_

 _A deep, powerful voice flowing through the ground,_

 _A tall man with purple skin, no face, a black swirling vortex instead._

 _Three faces, Koios; pushing me into an elevator, Damasen; smiling and hugging me, Bob; vowing to aid me._

My mind snapped back to reality as Hestia jerked away from me and off the step we were sat on. A look of fear, awe and sympathy was mashed across her face. I gave her a watery smile as tears began to escape my eyes.

She had been attempting to ease the burden I was carrying, and at the same time she had seen my memories, and knew what had happened. I was terrified of what she would think, but the look on her face made me relax. Like she knew my fears. She gave me a small warm smile, a smile of reassurance.

The sudden jerk of movement drew the attention of everyone else in the room, who's eyes widened when they saw me sat quietly by the fire.

"PERCY!" my dad yelled before leaping from his throne and crushing me in a hug that could rival one of Tyson's. Moments later I was swamped by my friends who all delivered their own hugs.

"I'm glad you're okay, Kelp head." Thalia said pulling away and wiping a tear from her eye, before giving me a smile. "I'm glad you're okay too, Pinecone face." I retorted, earning an even bigger smile and a small punch to the shoulder.

I heard someone clear their throat from across the room and turned to see a wide-eyed council waiting expectantly.

"Sorry, Lord Zeus." I said quickly before bowing and returning in line with my friends. "Well young Perseus. It is good to see you have recovered so quickly." He said with a smile. I raised my eyebrows at him. I was really not expecting Zeus to be so accepting of me, much less smile at me.

"Great heroes stand before us!" Hera stood and announced to the rest of the council. "And I believe we are all agreed in their rewards." All the Olympians nodded their heads in agreement, sending smiles down at their respective children.

"Jason Grace, Piper Mclean, Leo Valdez, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque and Nico Di Angelo!" Zeus bellowed hushing any chatter within the room. "Step forward." He said gesturing in front of him. They all looked at each other before turning and giving me a worried look. I gave them all a slight nod and smile before they turned and stepped forward, kneeling before Zeus's throne. "Rise heroes! For your honour and valour in the war and your aid in the great prophecy, we the council would like to bestow upon you the gift of Godhood…" Zeus said earning some shocked gasps from a few in the room.

They all looked at each other with shocked expressions. Frank looked ready to pass out, his face had turned completely white. Nico turned around to me and winced, he looked a little sad. I was also curious as to why I hadn't been called up with them. Maybe they were going to offer me something else? But what else could they offer me? I gave him a smile and a thumbs up, before he turned back to the others. A moment passed before Jason spoke up. "We graciously accept this gift, father." Zeus smiled down at his son.

"Do you swear by the River Styx to fight and defend Olympus whenever called upon, do you swear to uphold the wishes of the council whenever called upon, and do you swear to protect and serve as immortal Camp leaders, to defend and train the demi-gods at both camps for eternity?" Zeus thundered out staring down at his son. "I do." They all spoke in unison.

All the council members stood and summoned their respective weapons of power. The room began to fill with a bright white light and I was forced to turn away. When the light died down all of my friends were surrounded by a golden aura. They had grown to suit their bodies and all their features had been enhanced. I turned to look at Thalia who wouldn't meet my eyes. She was looking down at the ground.

A flash appeared behind the 6 and the three Fates walked out.

"All hail Lord Jason Grace; Minor God of Winds and Lightning. God of Heroes

All hail Lady Piper Mclean; Minor Goddess of Beauty, Passion, and Romance. Goddess of Heroes

All hail Lord Leo Valdez; Minor God of the Forge and Craft. God of Heroes

All hail Lord Frank Zhang; Minor God of War and Weapon Mastery. God of Heroes

All hail Lady Hazel Levesque; Minor Goddess of Riches and Wealth. Goddess of Heroes

All hail Lord Nico Di Angelo; Minor God of Death and King of Ghosts. God of Heroes!"

They thundered out in creepy unison. "Thank you, Lady Fates." Zeus said bowing his head slightly. They responded with their own bow before one of the fates then turned their head towards me. I raised my eyebrows at her. A smile crept up her face before all three disappeared. A smile noticed by everyone in the room. I looked around the room to see everyone staring at me with wide eyes. Zeus cleared his throat a little nervously. This erupted hushed whispers from most of the gods and goddesses.

"PERSEUS JACKSON!" A booming voice projected across the room hushing all chatter. I turned to look at my dad who was staring down at me with pride. I stepped forward and bowed to him before kneeling before Zeus.

"Perseus Jackson, you have done it again. Defied all odds and earned the respect of this council. He must be rewarded above all else for his service. And for.. uh-" he coughed out a few words. Which nobody heard. Everyone stared at him expectantly before he finally caved. "And for single handily, saving us once again." He said. I could tell he must have swallowed a lot of pride to say that. But I wasn't too sure what he meant. I raised my head and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"My lord, Zeus, I do not mean to offend, but what exactly do you mean?" I asked him, looking around at the rest of the council. Zeus narrowed his eyes at me. "For single-handedly killing Gaia." He said through clenched teeth. My mouth dropped open and just hung there. "I do not know how you did it, but you did." My eyes quickly darted to the ring on my left hand. Kronos's blade. It actually worked! I… Killed her. I turned my head and met a knowing glare from Hestia. She raised her eyebrows at me. Oh shit. I am in deep trouble.

I turned back to Zeus who was still glaring down at me. "Whilst I had my doubts about you at first Perseus, you have proven yourself. And the council has agreed. We would offer you a place among us in the Olympian Council." He said a little begrudgingly, telling me he didn't exactly like it. My eyes shot wide and my mouth fell open. I turned around to see all the Gods staring at me expectantly, Poseidon with a massive smile plastered across his face. "There's no way he won't accept." I heard Apollo whisper to Hermes. I looked over to the Goddess of the Hearth, who cocked her had at me curiously. I bowed my head for a moment and thought.

"Well? Will you accept?" Zeus asked in a more irritated tone. I looked up and cleared my throat. My mind was already made up. "I will not." I said simply. Everyone in the throne room gasped. "Percy, think-" Poseidon cried out before I turned my gaze and effectively shut him up. Zeus summoned his bolt and slammed it down, quieting the entire room.

"My Lord Zeus, I would like a wish however." I said with determination. He looked at me a little curiously, clearly happy that I hadn't accepted. "As long as the council swears on the Styx to at least hear out my reasoning for it." Zeus began stroking his beard and nodded. "Firstly, I would like the thrones of Lady Hestia and Lord Hades restored. Lord Hades has more than earned his place for aiding in both wars, and in my opinion should have always had a throne being of the eldest Gods. Lady Hestia is the Goddess of the Hearth and Home and would provide a more peaceful side to future council meetings." Zeus narrowed his eyes but nodded, gesturing for me to continue.

"Lastly, I would like to hold up my promises to a few friends of mine, whom I owe my life to." I received a few queer and curious glances from the council at this. "Iapetus, Damasen and Koios." I stated simply. Zeus's shot up, thunder crackling around him. "Ahem." Poseidon said staring at Zeus. "We swore to hear him out." He said with a little anger. Zeus scowled before settling back in his throne.

I gave my dad a nod of appreciation before continuing. "I would not have made it out of Tartarus, without their help. I owe them my life. I promised Iapetus and Damasen their freedom, once the war was over. They do not wish for war and would happily swear to never move against Olympus again. They wish to only live in peace on the surface. When Iapetus and I reached the doors of death, he killed his brother Krios, and asked Koios for aid. Koios said he would only help if he and his wife would get the same deal. I agreed and the three defended me from Tartarus and a large army of monsters whilst i made my escape." All their eyes widened at the name of the Primordial of the Pit and Zeus visibly paled. "Yes, he attacked us and all three gave their lives to get me out."

Zeus gave out a heavy sigh and sat back in his throne. A few moments of silence passed. "All in favour of granting Perseus's wish?" All hands shot up other than Ares, Athena and Zeus's. "Very well Percy, your wish shall be granted." He said a little sourly before snapping his fingers. Two new thrones erupted from the ground, one pure black filled with precious gems, skulls decorating the armrests. The other a warm brown colour, decorated with swirls of fire. Hades and Hestia both gave me grateful smiles and moved to their new thrones. "Thank you." I said to the council before returning to my friends who were all staring at me with shocked faces.

"Brother, do you have access?" Zeus asked hades through gritted teeth, still clearly unhappy with the result of the vote. Hades nodded before disappearing in a flash of darkness. A few minutes of uncomfortable silence passed, where most of the gods just stared at me. Finally another flash of darkness brought all eyes to the centre of the room. Five figures were stood there whilst Hades was back in his throne with a smug look on his face.

Bob, Damasen, Koios and a young woman with long auburn hair and silver eyes, who I can only assume was his wife Phoebe, Titaness of Radiance. And finally Thanatos. Thanatos snapped his figures and the four animated, as if they had been frozen in place before.

They all had bewildered looks on their faces. Zeus cleared his throat and then gestured towards me. They followed his motion slowly before they saw me. Bob instantly rushed forward, shrinking down with every step and crushed me in a hug. Damasen gave me a massive smile, along with Koios, while Phoebe was as confused as ever.

Zeus cleared his throat again a look of irritation stretched across his face. Bob moved from me and returned to the line infront of Zeus. They all respectively bowed. "It appears… Young Perseus here has vouched for your freedom. Any other and it would have been denied, but his voice carries a lot of weight in this council." Zeus said in an icy tone. Koios and Phoebe's mouths dropped open in shock.

"Do you, Iapetus, Damasen, Koios and Phoebe swear on the River Styx, on your own immortality to never move against or aid the enemies of Olympus and live the rest of your lives in peace under the rule of the Olympians?" They all swore, and stepped to the side of the throne room out of the way other than Bob. "My lord Zeus, I ask to no longer be recognised as Iapetus." Bob said with a little fire in his eyes. "Young Percy here has given me a chance of a new life. I am no longer Iapetus. I am now Bob." Zeus narrowed his eyes before nodding. Bob then stepped off to the side of the room along with his brother, sister and Damasen.

"Now to the fate of the Augur... Apollo, your legacy near caused the destruction of Olympus. Not only did his actions almost cause our downfall." Zeus bellowed, a cold glare directed at the God, who only shrunk under the intesity. Zeus snapped his fingers and in a flash of light a Goddess I recognised appeared before the council. Lupa with a set of celestial bronze shackles on the floor infront of her. "But managed to imprison a Goddess. However thanks to the decisive report of Praetor Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano we were able to free Lupa from her bindings."

Zeus then stood from his throne, the air beginning to crackle, a distinct smell of ozone taking over the room. A look of rage coming across the Thunder God's face. " **WHERE IS HE!** " Zeus roared out, a massive boom of thunder shaking the room. Most of the council flinching under his gaze.

"Father, he was present at the beginning of the battle, but... he's just gone." Apollo called out, not meeting Zeus's eye.

Zeus turned to look at Hades who only shook his head, indicating the Augur was infact still alive.

"Lupa, you have the councils bessing to hunt down the Augur. Do not kill him. Bring him before us so that he may pay for his crimes." He announced, his anger beginning to simmer off.

"And Lupa, I care not for his conditition. As long as he is alive." Zeus said, a serious look in his eye. If wolves could grin, Lupa was doing an incredible job.

"Are there anymore matters to be discussed?" Nobody answered. "Then I ask that the rest of the council remains, along with Perseus. The rest of you are dismissed." Zeus thundered before summoning his bolt and slamming it down.

Thalia, walked over to the new gods and teleported to camp with them. Bob, Damasen, Koios and Phoebe all disappeared in a flash of silver. Lupa disappeared in a burst of grey and Thanatos melted into shadows.

I turned expectantly back to Zeus with a confused look. "It appears we are all curious as to how you had the power to single handily defeated a Primordial?" I scanned the faces of all the Gods and saw them all lean in expectantly. I turned and looked at Hestia, who gave me a small smile and an encouraging nod. I sighed, this was going to be a long story.

I told them of the events from My and Annabeth's decent into Tartarus, to the point of her death. Many of the gods faces paled when I described her fate. Athena began visibly crying. Hestia flashed over and gave her a warm embrace. I lowered my head and approached her throne.

"Lady Athena…" I looked at Hestia who gave me another nod before flashing back to her own throne. Athena looked down at me with puffy red eyes before shrinking down to human height and standing before me. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small picture. I took one last look at it with a sad smile before handing it over to Athena. "This was given to me... I'd like you to have it." I said with a watery smile. She looked down at the photograph for a few moments before raising her head back to me. "You truly have a heart of gold Percy." She whispered, loud enough for only me to hear. "Thank you, Lady Athena." I whispered back before returning to the middle of the room.

I continued my story, waking up in Damasen and Bob's care, I avoided my dream with Chaos. But when I told them that I had received a visitor in Tartarus, they all curiously perked up.

"He came in under a flag of truce, once being an enemy of ours, and told me that he didn't want Gaia to rule, because it would end with the death of everything on the planet. He then presented me with a gift. A way to fight Gaia. He then faded, due to the severity of the wounds he had received." I said mysteriously. Many of the gods looked confused, Zeus narrowed his eyes, whilst Athena's eyes widened and mouth dropped open. Of course she would figure it out… She is the Goddess of wisdom after all.

I reached down and twisted the ring on my left hand. A 3-foot blade appeared in my hand, an exact copy of Riptide, however half the blade was mortal steel. The entire council gasped. "Kronos has faded, and he passed his immortal weapon down to me before he did." I said showing the weapon to the gods. The room began to grow dark, and thunder crackled. Zeus stood up from his throne, his bolt appearing in his hand. His eyes, a once electric blue were now almost black with anger. He raised his bolt ready to smite me. Oh crap... this is probably the end. Not a second later the throne room began to shake, and a trident impaled itself around Zeus's throat, as a swirl of darkness forced him down into his throne and a whip of fire wrapped around his arm and ripped the bolt free. I looked over to see my father stood from his throne, his own eyes swirling with anger. Next to him Hades, and surprisingly Hestia had mirrored looks.

"YOU DARE ATTACK ME!" Zeus bellowed in rage struggling against the bindings of darkness and the trident at his throat. "We will not let you take his life, after he saved us again." Athena said standing from her throne. "Yes, he may have the one weapon that can truly kill a god. But if he was a threat, would he have risked his own life over and over to save us?" Athena yelled. "You forget. His flaw is loyalty." I was surprised enough Athena had jumped to my aid. Zeus's eyes widened at his daughter's response. She left no room for argument in her words. I looked around the room and saw all the gods staring daggers at the King of the Gods. His face contorted into one of pain, but he nodded. The darkness evaporated off him and my father's trident flew back into his hand. I sent grateful smiles towards those who had stood up for me.

"Perseus, I have one last question, that the rest of the council may have forgotten." Artemis spoke up from my right. She had been almost silent through the entire meeting. "Yes Milady?" I asked a little curiously. "You said Tartarus, took enough interest in you to form a physical body and attack. I would like to hear of your encounter with him. None of us have ever seen him in a physical body." My face darkened at the thought of it. It was easily one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. Not to mention the army of tens of thousands of monsters.

I described the events from, my leaving Damasen's hut, to escaping the doors. I put heavy emphasis on the fact that there were no monsters anywhere along our journey until we reached the doors. When I told them of the number of monsters ready to exit many of the gods paled. I described every detail of Tartarus, from his black armour, to the swirling vortex on his face. I saw Athena almost taking notes with her eyes, intrigued at the first sighting of the primordial. I finished with the doors sliding shut, as Damasen fought his father, Bob the army and Koios defended the doors. Many of the gods had troubled looks. A few moments passed where everyone was deep in thought.

"Well I belie-" Zeus started only to be interrupted by Apollo, who stood up straight and rigid from his throne. His eyes began glowing a reptilian green colour and green mist began to pool around him. He opened his mouth and a raspy voice sounded;

 _The twice saviour of Olympus shall fight,_

 _The Blackness, The Darkness, The Eternal Night._

 _The sword and the bow must come together,_

 _Or fight alone, an endless terror._

 _The prison's walls have begun to break;_

 _The end of Olympus in its wake._

( **A/N: Was going to end there, but I won't because I'm nice)**

With that Apollo collapsed, falling straight forward, smashing onto the marble floor. We all just stood in shock staring at the unconscious god. After a few moments he woke up and stood. He looked around the room wildly, everyone's face were pale and nobody said a word.

I felt like I wanted to be sick. I was in another great prophecy. I turned around and slumped to the ground near the hearth, which was now little more than embers and coals. Hestia flashed down from her throne and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"It appears… Another Great Prophecy has been issued… And from what we can decipher, Perseus will be part of this third prophecy." Athena stated sadly. Apollo turned to me with a sad look. I knew it wasn't his fault. A memory sprung to the front of my mind; One of the Fates smiling at me. Curse them, they must really hate me to have me in another great prophecy.

"The Prophecy may not be about you." Athena said with a little hope. "Thank you for your concern, Lady Athena, but I doubt that the line _Twice saviour of Olympus_ means anyone else." I said dejectedly. I gave a heavy sigh and stood. "Let's just hope it isn't for many years, I'd like a bit of peace for once." Many of the gods cracked a smile at that. "If that is all then?" Zeus announced narrowing his eyes dangerously at Apollo, who held his hands up in surrender. "Then I announce this meeting adjourned."

With a crash of Zeus's master bolt all the gods stood up. "All hail Perseus Jackson, Saviour of Olympus!" My father bellowed. I rolled my eyes as many of the gods teleported out, most likely to join the festivities on Olympus. My Dad, Hades, Hestia, Aphrodite and Artemis stayed behind, obviously wanting to talk to me.

Aphrodite jumped off her throne and walked towards me first. As she shrunk down to my height, she also readjusted her age, to that of an 18-year-old girl. She batted her eyelashes at me. "Percy, I want to personally _thank_ you for saving us again." She purred seductively, tracing a hand up my arm. A pair of grey eyes flashed across my mind and I grimaced a little at the goddess before stepping back. "No offence Lady Aphrodite, but no thanks." I said before stepping a little further away. She slinked a little closer to me, obviously displeased that she had been rejected. "Oh, it wouldn't be any trouble, I'm sure it would actually be quiet fun." She whispered grabbing my shirt and pulling me against her. "Ahem." A loud voice rung around the room. I turned to see my dad standing a few feet away.

"As I said Lady Aphrodite, no thank you." I said before untangling myself and moving towards Poseidon. He shot her one last glare as she disappeared in a puff of pink smoke. My dad turned towards me and pulled me into a hug.

"Percy… I want you to know how proud I am of you." He expressed with a smile, breaking off from the hug. "I know dad… thanks." I returned with my own smile. "Do not be afraid to ask for anything, my son." He stated before disappearing into a fine sea breeze.

Hades then approached me and to my surprise pulled me into hug. "Perseus, I am forever indebted to you for giving me a throne among the council. If you ever need anything, you need only ask." He said, before disappearing into shadows. I gave a small smile at the spot where he had just disappeared before turning to the last two Olympians present in the room.

Artemis stepped down from her throne and approached me, shrinking down to her human form. I stopped a few paces infront of her and raised my eyebrows. "Perseus… I.. Uh.. never got… to." I cut her off by raising my hand. "There's no need for that my lady." I said with a small grin. She was trying to swallow an enormous amount of pride to try and thank me for saving her. She stared at me astonished for a moment before a smile graced her own lips. I gave her a slight nod before she vanished in a flash of silver light. I inwardly chuckled before turning to meet a pair of burning eyes staring at me. Oh crap.

"Do not think you can avoid this coming conversation Perseus." She said with a glare before erupting into flames and disappearing. I slowly walked over to the door and pushed them open. The second the doors split, the sound of music and laughter filled my ears. As I stepped out, I stepped into one of the largest parties I had ever seen.

The Nine Muses were playing music on a massive stage while an array of gods, nature spirits, hunters and demi-gods were dancing infront of them. There were banquet tables spread throughout the area filled with everything from Mac & Cheese to cake. Many of the Olympians were dancing with either their children or each other.

I spied Jason, Piper and Leo dancing near the edge of the dance floor. I was tempted to go and dance with them, but I really wasn't in a party mood. I slipped round the edge of the party avoiding eye contact with everyone. Many nature spirits and Minor God's eyes widened as a walked past them but none tried to talk to me.

The sun was setting off in the distance as I continued down the streets of Olympus, further from the party. I reached a small park near the edge of Olympus and did my best taxi cab whistle. I really hoped it would work, although I didn't know if he would be able to hear me. A couple of minutes passed before I saw Blackjack descend from the clouds and come to a stop beside me.

" _Hey boss."_ Blackjack said in my mind giving me a nudge with his head. " _Got any doughnuts?"_ He asked while sniffing my pockets. "Hey Blackjack. Mind giving me a lift back to camp? I'll get you the next best thing when we get back. Sugar cubes." I said while cracking a grin. I stood for a few moments stroking his fur thinking about the prophecy that had been issued. I wish Annabeth was with me, she would have known what to make of the new prophecy, and she always had a way of cheering me up.

Blackjack gave me a gentle nuzzle bringing me back to reality. I climbed on and he raced off, diving off Olympus and heading east towards Long Island.

The sun had long set when I saw a familiar pine tree on the crest of a hill. Camp was quiet, many of the campers had gone to the party on Olympus, other than the wounded. They were using the party to forget the traumatic events and stress of the day. I couldn't blame them.

I landed blackjack near the stables and promised him I'd be back with his sugar cubes. I slowly trudged towards the big house. I had to tell Chiron what had happened. A couple of campers gave me wide eyed looks, but I was mainly left to myself. I walked up the steps and opened the door. I stepped into the lounge and found Chiron, sat in his wheelchair form, staring at the fire. The old horse's face looked eerie in the red light of the roaring fire. He turned to look at me when I entered and his face lit up.

"Percy, my boy!" he exclaimed as I walked over and gave him a quick hug. Before sitting down on the sofa opposite him. "Hey Chiron." I said staring into the fire. "I thought you'd be up on Olympus with everyone else?" He asked with a little concern in his voice. I turned and looked him dead in the eye. "Another great prophecy has been issued." His eyes dropped at that as he looked at the floor sadly. It had been only a year since the last prophecy was issued. "I was hopeful we may get some lasting peace. It appears not." He looked back at me and furrowed his eyebrows. "That isn't the only reason you came here, is it?" He said, wheeling himself a little closer to me. I knew what I wanted to say but the words were stuck in my throat. "Chiron… A-Annabeth, she… didn't make it." I choked out, a barely audible whisper.

I looked up at my mentor, who's eyes were now hollow and almost brimming with tears. Chiron had been Annabeth's fatherly figure for almost ten years. She came to camp when she was seven, a scared little girl with no family. Chiron had been her new family, and she really looked up to him.

We sat for a few minutes in silence before I stood and left, giving Chiron one last sad smile, knowing he needed some space for his grief. I left the big house and walked quietly through the camp to the last place I knew could relax me. I trudged through the soft sand to the edge of the water and sat down with a sigh. It had been a long war.

-Line Break-

A few weeks had passed since the end of the war. The campers had returned to their usual activities, though none were into it. The war had left scars on all, and we had lost just over a quarter of our camp.

On the night of the burial shrouds, the Romans and Hunters had come to Camp-Half blood to mourn alongside us. 103 was the total number of combined demi-gods and hunters who had lost their lives. I quietly watched from the back of the amphitheatre as a beautiful grey shroud caught ablaze, silently weeping. The immortal campers stood at the front, to light the shrouds. I didn't want to be the one to light the shrouds, even though I was asked by many different people. So I just sat in the shadows and watched.

Even though the hearth was little more than a small black flame, all bad blood had been eradicated between the Greeks and Romans, and now we treated each other as one big family.

Another week or two passed and as such I found myself without purpose. The immortal campers of the seven were leading both camps, tutoring new and old half-bloods in all their skills. Sure, they were my friends and I loved them, but they were all always extremely busy. I had planned to spend the rest of my life with Annabeth. And with her gone, I had no idea what to do.

New demi-gods were popping in through the border every day, sometimes two or three in a day. And although I was still the only child of Poseidon, camp started to feel cramped. People would come up to me every day and ask if I was the 'Great Percy Jackson'. I hated all the attention I was getting.

I trudged back to my cabin after dinner one evening, not wanting to go to the sing along. I walked in and sat down on my bed and stared at the opposite wall. I needed to get away from camp for a while, just to blow off some steam.

I quickly grabbed some paper and a pen and scribbled down a letter to Chiron, informing him that I was leaving camp for a while, and that he shouldn't come looking for me. I grabbed my backpack, stuffed it with some ambrosia, nectar, money, mortal and immortal and a spare change of clothes before slipping out of my cabin.

I saw everyone at the amphitheatre, happily singing along with the Apollo campers. I quickly walked up to the top of half-blood hill and pulled a small knife out of my combat boots, a practise that both Thalia and Annabeth had taught me, before pinning the letter to the tree. I turned and took one last look at camp, before descending down the hill and away from camp.

 **A/N: Erm sorry about lateness of update. I plan to update a new chapter every week. I hope that's often enough :). This chapter is mainly a filler. Tell me what you guys think? I'm sure many of you guys could pull apart the new prophecy and figure out what is going to happen. (That would be interesting, seeing as I have no idea).**

 **The votes have taken quite a leap forward since last chapter.**

 **Thalia: 10**

 **Zoë: 7**

 **Annabeth: 6**

 **Artemis: 5**

 **Aphrodite: 1 (ew)**

 **Till next chapter**

 **Ciao**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Thalia's POV (3 Years later)

I gave a heavy sigh as I watched the hunters train. I was sat with my back against a large oak tree watching as Phoebe led the hunters in archery practice. I looked up at the setting sun as tears began to build up behind my eyelids.

It had been three years since Percy had disappeared from camp. He didn't say goodbye to anybody; he just packed up and left. Stupid Kelp-head. I smacked the ground next to me in frustration as anger began building up inside me. He was my best friend, and after losing Annabeth, losing him as well was a hard blow. I took leave from the hunt to go and look for him along with Nico. After six months of nothing I returned to the hunt, to find out two weeks later Nico had disappeared as well.

A tear slipped out and rolled down my cheek. Why did they have to leave me alone? I had my brother Jason, but he was my little brother. I didn't have the same kind of relationship with him as I did Nico and Percy. We were close, but I couldn't have the same kind of relationship as I did with my cousins. I had an almost protective surge over Jason whenever I was near him, whilst I knew Percy and Nico were my equals. They had my back and I had theirs. Jason was a God now anyway. I barely saw him or anyone else from camp.

I looked up to see Artemis walk out of her tent. I clenched my hands in anger. Not even the Gods 'seemed' to know where Percy was. Although I had a sneaking suspicion that some of them did. I slumped back against the tree and put my head in my hands. I really missed them.

I thought I had died, alone, surrounded by monsters. My world turned black, and a second later I woke up, Percy looking down at me, telling me everything would be okay. Ever since then he'd been the rock in my life. The one I knew I could rely on, no matter what. He always promised he'd be there, no matter what. When I needed him most.

"Thalia?" My head shot up and I came face to face with Artemis, she was looking down at me with a concerned look stretched across her face. "I'm okay milady." I replied a little glumly. I wiped the tear stains off my face with my sleeve and sat up.

She put a hand on my shoulder and sat down next to me. "Thalia… What's wrong?" Artemis and I had somewhat grown close, she cared for all her hunters like they were her own children, but we became like sisters. Well technically we are half-sisters, but that's beside the point. I sniffled and rubbed my nose. "I was just thinking about Percy and Nico." I said a little sadly and with a heavy sigh. We sat for a few moments in silence. Artemis's hand never left my shoulder.

"I know how much they meant to you." She said sadly. Giving my shoulder a little squeeze. I looked up at her with a little smile. "I just wish I could have seen them again before they left. Nico never stopped looking for Percy when he disappeared. He'd been keeping me updated with IMs. But one day they just stopped. I tried sending messages back to both of them, but they keep coming up blocked." I said wistfully.

Artemis scooted a little closer and took my hands in hers. "Thalia… I know…-" she let out a small sigh "-I've always been a man hater. But even I can see Perseus is different." She said solemnly. My eyes widened as I stared back at her. Did she just admit that she thought even Percy was different to all other males? "They are still male, but even I approve of your friendship with Perseus and Nico. You couldn't ask for two finer friends." She said with a smile.

I let out a small chuckle of relief. It felt good to talk to Artemis about it. I'd always been slightly worried that I'd disappoint her with my friendship with Percy and Nico. Artemis returned a smile towards me. "Thalia, tell me some stories of you three?" She asked a little eagerly. I raised my eyebrows at her. I looked down at the floor with a smile and begun telling her some stories.

-Line Break-

"-And then Percy, being the complete Kelp head that he is, slipped over, his sword goes flying and impales the cyclops, saving Grover." I exclaimed through fits of laughter. Tears of absolute hysteria were flowing down both of our faces. Artemis was clutching her stomach as she laughed. I inwardly smiled at all the times we had. "Even though our lives are terrifying a lot of the time, they always seemed to make the best of any situation. Even if it was hopeless." I said with a little laughter. I heard a little sparkle in Artemis's voice as she laughed. Her eyes danced with mirth as I told her stories about Percy, Nico, Grover, Annabeth and me.

"I can see why you think his head is full of kelp." Artemis said with a little chuckle. I looked up at the stars. The sun had long set and now a full moon was shining down on us. Artemis's eyes followed mine and then widened. "Oh gods, is that the time? We've been talking for 2 hours." She said with a little worry. She stood and then helped me up.

As we walked towards the large picnic table my mind wandered. The conversation I had just had with Artemis had made me much more determined to find Percy, no matter what. But where could he be? I may have to ask from leave from the hunt again. I bet my dad knows where Percy is. Or maybe Poseidon?

I hadn't even realised we'd arrived at the middle of the camp until I caught a whiff of the delicious venison stew that the hunters had prepared for us, from today's hunt. "My Lady, Thalia, where have you been?" Phoebe exclaimed a little worriedly.

"We were clearing our heads, Phoebe." Artemis said with a smile before taking her seat at the head of the table. "Ignore her Milady, she's just really needy." Diana called out, earning a smack. The whole table burst out laughing. I cracked a small smile at the hunter's antics as a younger hunter passed a small slice of bread to me.

We continued to eat and laugh like one big happy family. Artemis always acted more serious around her hunters, but even tonight she would laugh along with the rest of the hunt. She must have been in a really good mood.

Once we had finished dinner and our plates had been taken off to be washed, Artemis called for everyone's attention. She clapped her hands and everyone snapped their heads to her.

"As you know I left for Olympus earlier today. We have received a new mission." Artemis said with a small smile. Everyone instantly perked up. We hadn't been on many hunts since the end of the war as most of the monsters had gone into hiding. "This one comes from Zeus himself. It is rather important, and the first it has ever been issued." Artemis said a little mysteriously. Everyone was leaning in, eager to hear what our new prey was. "We must hunt Echidna and the Chimera."

Everyone's eyes widened. A few of the hunters face paled. I wasn't surprised, I was shocked myself. Echidna and the Chimera hadn't ever been beaten together. One alone was more than enough trouble on anyone who was unlucky enough to come across them.

"I know what you're thinking girls…" Artemis said looking over the shocked faces the hunt. I grimaced a little. "Milady is right, we can do this." Atalanta spoke up from next to Phoebe. She earned some nods and shouts of approval. "We begin tomorrow, so get some rest." Artemis said before standing and retiring towards her tent.

All the other hunters began to get up and leave towards their respected tents. I stayed in my seat, staring at a small dark patch on the table thinking about the time Percy had faced the beast on the St. Louis Arch.

A younger hunter named Emily nudged me on the shoulder. "Thalia? Don't worry, we're the hunters of Artemis, right? We've got this!" she exclaimed with a cheeky grin. I gave her a light punch on the shoulder and a smile, before she ran off to her tent.

I stood up and left for my tent. I walked in, zipped the doors shut and climbed onto my bed. I sat pondering my thoughts for a while. I couldn't help but think this coming hunt wasn't a good omen. Something just felt… off. I was interrupted by an Iris message shimmering into existence.

My eyes widened and a smile crept onto my face. "Hey Thalia. How are you?" The young woman with brown hair said to me. "I'm doing okay thanks Sally." I replied earning a smile. "Any sign of Percy?" She asked a little hopefully. I looked down and shook my head. Sally Jackson had been one of the most affected with Percy's disappearance, and it only got worse with Nico. She had practically adopted Nico and I into the family. We treated her as the mom we never had, and us the children she always wanted. I felt tears begin to build up behind my eyes. "Thalia... It's okay, they will turn up when they're ready. You both told me how badly the war had affected you. They'll be back soon." She said a little sternly. I couldn't argue with her. But I was almost out of hope.

"How's Andromeda?" I asked wanting to change the subject. Sally gave me a small smile. "She's doing good, but she misses her auntie Thalia." She said with a grin. I blushed a little as a smile stalked across my face.

Andromeda Blofis Jackson was 3 years old now. She was born just before the end of the Giant war and was Percy's half-sister, and according to Sally, my little niece. She was extremely intelligent, walking and talking already. She was told about Percy, her older brother, and was ecstatic to meet him.

We had told her that he had disappeared but would be back soon, and she was now practically waiting at the door every day for her big brother to come home. I'd met her 3 or 4 times since she'd been born. She had sea green eyes like her brother, which I found odd as she had no relation to Poseidon what so ever. The little curls of hair on her head were the same colour as her father, Paul's hair.

"She keeps asking when you're next going to visit." Sally exclaimed, and it sounded almost like a question itself. "We're going on a hunt tomorrow… I don't know how long it will take, but after then I'll find some time to come visit, okay?" I asked.

"I'll hold you to it." Sally said with a wink. As she did Paul called her name from the background. Sally turned around for a few seconds, before turning back. "Sorry Thalia, I have to go."

"It's okay… Speak soon?" I asked with a small smile. She gave me a quick nod before I cut the connection.

I quickly got changed into my night wear, before climbing into my bed. I didn't realise how tired I was till my head hit the pillow. A few seconds later I passed into the realm of Morpheus.

I opened my eyes and saw a vast expanse below me. I was standing at the edge of a large pit. The ground at my feet was an ugly shade of red. There were shards of black glass everywhere, making up most of the ground I was standing on. The air was thick with sulphur and smog. There was a red mist all around me, preventing me from being able to see further than 30 or 40 feet. I looked around nervously, sweat already trickling off my body from the intense heat of the place. A rattling sound ahead of me drew my attention. I crept slowly towards the edge of the chasm.

My heart jumped into my throat as I peered over into the pit. There was no visible bottom, just black. About 40ft down suspended above the pit by massive Stygian Iron chains was a cage. I couldn't see in the cage, but as I watched small cracks began forming over the sides of the metal. Everywhere cracks formed, an inky black mist seeped out. The blackness was darker than the pit it hovered over.

Suddenly the world began to shake from an earth-shattering laugh. The voice was deep and melodious, however filled with malice and hate. I began to shiver and tremble as more and more of the cage began to break apart, with even more of the inky black mist pouring out.

" _I see you little huntress."_ The voice boomed. My eyes widened in fear.

I sat up, sweat pouring off my skin, I was panting heavily. I quickly looked around and discovered I was sat on my bed in my tent. Dawn had already broken, as I could see light pouring in from outside. I shivered as I thought of the voice. Who could that be? What kind of power was in that cage? Whatever it was, it was breaking free.

"Thalia?" I voice sounded from outside. I jumped back in shock from the voice. "Who is it?" I asked a little timidly.

"it's Christy… Lady Artemis was wondering why you weren't at the breakfast table." My eyes widened in shock. How long had I slept? It must be well past 9.a.m if I missed breakfast.

"I'll be right out." I called back. I wiped the sweat off my forehead as I listened to the footsteps recede away. I quickly got changed into my silver hunter gear and left my tent. I immediately made my way to the centre of the camp, where the central hearth and table was located. All the other hunters were gathered around, packing up various bits of equipment and getting ready to move.

I saw Artemis talking with some of the younger hunters, no doubt giving them instructions on what to do for the coming hunt, seeing as they had never faced combat on this scale before. Sure, we'd picked off a few loose monsters here and there, but nothing like Echidna or the Chimera.

"Lady Artemis." I called out as I approached. She swivelled her head round with an estranged look on her face. She raised her eyebrows at me before gesturing for the younger hunters to go help their sisters.

"Thalia…" she said a little gently. "Yes milady?" I asked. She narrowed her eyes at me before letting out a sigh. "Go help the others pack up camp." She said sternly before walking off towards her own tent.

Did my waking up late tick her off? I wouldn't imagine so, although I wasn't too sure. She just seemed really… off. I shook my head coming to the conclusion that it meant nothing other than stress of today's hunt and went to aid the others. Come to think of it, Artemis had been acting strange ever since the end of the Giant war. She had been a little more recluse to everyone other than myself and some of the oldest hunters. And she had not once left her 18-year-old form. I was curious as to why, but I would never bring it up.

We quickly collapsed our magical tents and that of the armoury, infirmary and storage tents before all grouping up in the clearing. Artemis slung her bow over her shoulder and stood tall infront of us.

"Girls… I'm not going to lie to you. Today is going to be hard. Especially for the younger ones. I want you to be on the ball. This is an entirely new challenge for a lot of you, and will be very dangerous. I want you to watch each other's backs out there, okay?" She called out with a considerable amount of concern. Well that answered the theory. She was scared for today. To be honest I think we all were. All the hunters gave nods of approval and shouldered their gear. She jogged off into the forest and we all trailed after her.

After a few minutes, I met Artemis's speed and jogged along next to her, infront of the other hunters. I turned to look at Artemis as we ran and something caught my eye that I had never seen before. My eyes widened.

"Milady…" I asked in a slightly hushed tone, as not to alert the other hunters. "Yes?" she responded and cocked her head at me as we jogged. My lower lip trembled a little bit. I had only seen this on a few other people, and it was unmistakable. I gestured to a small braid in her hair that would normally be hidden. "What is that?" I asked with a little scepticism. I knew where she would have gotten it. I was there at the time, but she was a goddess. She could just change her appearance whenever she wanted. Why was it still there?

She gave me a questioning look before her eyes widened. I was pointing to a little braided strand of grey in her auburn hair. She blushed a small shade of pink before covering it up. She turned her attention back to the path infront of us and we ran in silence for a few more minutes.

"Milady?" I was determined not to let the subject slide. Only Luke, Annabeth and Percy had that streak of grey in their hair. Annabeth and Luke were gone and Percy was MIA. What was the reason for her having it?

"It's to honour your cousin, Perseus." She stated quietly as if reading my mind. My eyes widened. Her face was burning a shade of red. She was clearly embarrassed about it. "Why?" I asked cautiously.

She gave out a heavy sigh before turning to me. "I guess there is no point in hiding it from you. But you mustn't tell a soul." My eyebrows raised. "Perseus has… S-saved me, at least… four times." She whispered out. "The first was from Atlas, when he took the sky for me. The second, he battled Kronos and stopped the destruction of Olympus. The… third time-" at this she paled considerably and her cheeks took on a shade of green. "h-he.. saved me from Gration. During the battle in Greece, Gration got a lucky swipe in and knocked me off my feet. He grabbed me, chained me and dragged me away from the battle. He said he was going to 'make me his', and I would be his 'play thing'." She gulped down the lump in her throat, sweat trickled off her. My eyes widened and I felt hot with anger. That sick bastard was going to rape her.

"As he began to… -t-touch me, he was ripped of me by Perseus. Who then fought him alone. He immobilized the giant and freed me, letting me finish him off." She said, as a small tear trickled down her cheek.

At that moment, a new-found respect came to light for my cousin. I already trusted him with my life, and he was my closest friend. But hearing how he saved Artemis from a cruel fate left me in almost awe of him.

"Lastly, was when he saved not only mine, but everyone's lives by killing Gaia… In any case… he has earned my permanent respect." She said softly. We ran in silence for a few more minutes as I thought about how much he had actually sacrificed for all of us. How much he would do for the ones he loved. Heck he didn't love Artemis, but he went out of his way, and endangered himself just to stop a giant's sick act. And he would do it again and again, without fail.

My mind wandered to my dream. As we ran, I thought of the large chasm, the landscape, the cage, that voice. It new I was there. Just thinking about it was giving me shivers. I would speak to Artemis about it after we had dealt with the current hunt.

After another ten minutes or so of jogging Artemis held up her hand signalling us to stop. We gathered up in a small huddle ready for our orders. "Okay, Echidna is supposed to be just a little ways ahead. Pair up and spread out. We're going to make a crescent and attack from many sides, in hopes of surprising her." Artemis said seriously. She drew a quick map in the dirt pointing the location of us, and where Echidna was supposed to be hiding.

We all nodded, assure of the plan. "Emily, you're with me" I called out with a smile. The oldest of us, paired with the youngest as usual to make sure they had the best amount of protection. We all split up and crept up towards the clearing a few hundred meters ahead.

As we arrived at the clearing we spread throughout the trees, covering almost every side of the encampment. I saw around 30 monsters in total, camped out, huddled around fires. There were cyclops's, empousia, dracaenae, and laistrygonians. I couldn't see any powerful monsters or Echidna anywhere. Emily gave me a confused look when she saw the monsters, but got ready anyway.

I drew an arrow and aimed at the closest empousia, who had her back to me. On an unspoken signal the clearing erupted into absolute chaos. Around 80% of the monsters were instantly vaporised. The rest didn't even have time to stand and draw their weapons before they were killed. In seconds the ground was littered with golden dust.

We waited for a few seconds to see any sign of movement. There was nothing. I slowly emerged from the clearing with the other hunters. We all reconvened in the middle of the clearing. Artemis had a look of concern stretched across her face.

All the hunters quietly whispered to each other whilst Artemis just stared down at the dust on the floor. One of the young hunters was playing with a small pile near her feet, poking it with her bow. Artemis turned to me with a worried look on her face. She grabbed me by the shoulder and pulled me a few paces away from the rest of the hunt.

"Milady? What's wrong?" I asked. She took a quick glance at the Hunt before she leaned a little closer. "Echidna was here. I can sense it… but there is something else. Like a lingering power residue." She said a little shakily. "What does it mean?" I asked a little stunned.

She turned and looked at the floor for a moment before raising her head back to me. "The last time monsters grouped together like this was when Gaia was rising. The time before that. Kronos." She stated with a serious look on her face. My eyes widened with shock. I realised what she was saying. Something powerful must be ordering them, if they are not fighting amongst each other. Monsters normally resort to primal instinct and never band together. It's a dog-eat-dog world for them, which is why we normally always have the upper hand. The second monsters start aligning themselves, and using strategies, our lives get ten times more difficult.

"Thalia… I must report this to the council. I will be back in no more than thirty minutes." She said in a very serious tone. I gave her a quick nod before she disappeared in a flash of silver. I turned and walked back to the hunt and gathered them up. I explained that Artemis had to go to Olympus for an emergency and she'd be back very soon.

We all sat down in small groups, with little chatter between us. They must have sensed something was bad if it could rattle Artemis.

Around five minutes after Artemis disappeared I felt a tingling sensation on the back of my neck. I jerked my head up and looked around. I noticed some of the other hunters were doing the same thing. I slid my bow off my back and stood up. many of the hunters followed my example, while some gave questioning looks. The ones who stayed seated were the mortals in the hunt. They didn't have the demi-god senses that the rest of us had and so couldn't normally sense when something was wrong.

The forests around us on three sides began to darken. A few seconds later they exploded outwards with monsters. Hellhounds, laistrygonians, dracaenae, empousia, cyclopes. There were at least a hundred, maybe more. They formed around us, leaving only a small gap behind us. I saw a few of the hunters trembling with fear at my sides.

The front rank of monsters parted and Echidna stepped out, a large smirk across her face. The Chimera was at her side, in its true, monstrous form. The hunters all backed up and formed around me. The monsters were all too close for us to use our bows, so they all drew their melee weapons.

I tapped my wristband and Aegis sprung to life on my wrist. Echidna cackled with glee. She stepped forward, leaving the Chimera at the front rank of monsters.

"It's about time we got rid of you pesky hunters." She screamed out. The monsters all tensed, and licked their lips in anticipation. "Where's your goddess, hmmmm?" She mused with a large smirk on her face. She turned and walked back to the front line, stopping when she got there and turning back to us.

My breathing quickened. I drew my spear out and backed up a few paces. I turned and looked at Emily to my left. She had a tear tracing down her cheek, her face was a pale white colour. To my right Atalanta's lower lip was trembling. I looked back to the horde of monsters infront of us.

Echidna cocked her head at us and then turned to the giant to her right.

"Kill them." She said simply, the smirk never leaving her face.

The giant roared, before the lines around us charged forward, surrounding us. A hellhound came barrelling straight at me, I rolled to the side and stabbed it in the side. It yelped before exploding into dust. I dodged to the right to avoid an arrow, before raising my shield to block a sword from a dracaenae. I thrust my spear through the dracaenae's neck, before turning and impaling a cyclops. I chanced a quick glance and took a look at the hunters to my left and right. They were doing well for the odds, but they were losing momentum and were going to be overwhelmed in seconds.

I sent an arc of lightning straight into a group of monsters infront of me, they exploded into dust, but more came rushing forward and filled the gap. I blocked another arrow, and as I lowered my shield my eyes widened. A club slammed into my chest and sent me 10 feet backwards, crashing into the dirt. I quickly leapt to my feet and drew my knives having lost my spear and shield. I saw Emily standing alone against three or four dracaenae. I rushed forward and intercepted an overhead swing that was meant for her. My knives were crossed in an X, with the monster's sword caught between them.

Emily turned to give me thanks but it was quickly stopped short when a spear was thrust through her gut.

My eyes widened, tears were already rolling off my face. "EMILY!" I screamed.

I uncrossed my blades and slit the dracaenae's throat infront of me before trying to reach Emily. The empousia that stabbed her gave me an evil smirk before ripping the spear out of her and throwing Emily behind her into the monsters ranks.

I stared at the empousia, feeling sick to my stomach. Emily was only 9, she'd been in the hunt for a few months at most and she'd just been butchered.

I tried to back up away from the monsters infront of me and regroup with the hunters but an arrow caught me in the shoulder, and I fell backwards from the impact of the arrow. My whole left side exploded in pain, and I smelt the familiar smell of poison wafting off the arrow.

I raised my head and looked around, black dots dancing in my eyes. My sisters were being cut down left and right. I watched in horror as a hunter was trying to pull back towards me, but was hit by an arrow in the leg. She fell and was quickly overcome by monsters.

I turned my attention back to my front as a cyclops came charging towards me. A hunter named Bethany quickly lunged at him, before he could bring his club down on me, killing him with three quick strikes. She turned to give me a quick nod. As she did I saw a hellhound charging towards her unprotected side.

"BEHIND YOU!" I screamed out, struggling to sit up. She turned quickly but it was too late. The hellhound ripped her throat and collarbone out, and she dropped to the floor dead in seconds.

I crawled back as the monsters continued to advance. _Lady Artemis, Father, ANYONE! Help us._ I screamed out internally, looking up towards the sky. A few hunters had gathered around me, all with various injuries, but stood defiant. My heart was racing, I was trembling with fear. I was getting flashbacks to when I stood alone on half-blood hill, fighting off a horde of monsters. I didn't have a chance of surviving.

Just as the monster's ranks got within a few metres of us a war horn went off. I was trembling with fear at the thought of even more monsters coming to slaughter us. The monsters however looked just as confused and worried as us. A few seconds later the monsters left flank cried out in fear and ran across into the rest of the army on the other side.

About 30 warriors, coated in lightweight pitch black armour charged out of the woods. They each had tight black camo trousers and dark grey t-shirts on. On top of that were pure black greaves, vambraces and a pitch-black cuirass. On top of their heads were pure black helmets with fiery red horsehair plumes. The each brandished a black shield with a red trim and a spear.

They quickly formed into a rudimentary phalanx and began advancing towards the monster's lines. Some sparing glances towards us. The front two lines locked shields, spears bristling over the top and stopped about 30 feet away from the monsters, waiting. The monsters around us, completely forgot about us and quickly reformed to face the new threat.

A mighty roar bellowed from the monsters and they surged forward toward the soldiers. The phalanx quickly broke apart and the front line charged forward, the second and third lines just behind them. When the front rank got within 10 meters of the monsters, they tucked into forward rolls in perfect unison. The second they hit the ground, the line behind them launched their spears into the enemy, causing the monsters to explode in disarray and break their charge. Just as the spears connected the front rank came up from their roll and crashed into the line of monsters, full force.

I watched in awe at the skill of the fighters. They cut through the monster's lines, like a hot knife through butter, working in almost perfect harmony with each other. I saw a few of the warriors from the third rank, at the edge of the battle using black bows and arrows. They were quickly firing into the monster horde, targeting the largest monsters or any that tried to sneak up on any of their comrades.

The monsters in complete chaos began to pull back from the battle and reform near the edge of the woods. The soldiers clad in black, too pulled away from the battle and reformed in lines, baring only minor injuries. Echidna stepped out of the monsters, a look of rage across her face.

"YOU!" She screeched out. pointing towards one of the warriors near the front. He appeared slightly different to the rest of the warriors. His horse hair plume, instead of being a fiery red colour, was a sea green colour. He stepped out from the front lines and stabbed his spear down into the ground. He handed his shield to a soldier behind him before turning and facing the monsters.

The Chimera roared in rage, obviously recognising the man and charged forward towards the figure. He drew two swords out of thin air and waited for the beast to approach. Echidna had a look of triumph on her face, which quickly turned into one of horror when the warrior threw one sword and then the other, impaling in each of the Chimera's front legs. The Chimera instantly buckled and went tumbling forward sliding through the dirt, stopping just infront of him.

As quick as lightning the warrior ripped his spear out of the ground. The Chimera didn't even have time to lift its head before he impaled his spear straight through its brain and into the ground below. Without another sound the Chimera dissolved into dust.

The warriors all moved forward and stood around the figure, brandishing their weapons ready for a fight. Echidna let out a hiss of rage, before turning and fleeing into the woods behind her. Quickly all the monster followed suit, till only the warriors and we were left in the clearing.

 **A/N: Surprisingly hard chapter to write…**

 **Just would like to make notice; Thalia will be a main part in this story.**

 **Keep the votes coming in guys and gals…**

 **Thalia: 12**

 **Artemis: 10**

 **Zoë: 7**

 **Annabeth: 7**

 **Aphrodite: 2**

 **I know I said one chapter a week or so, but… eh, I had some free time. Keep reviewing and sending votes in and all the jazz. Thank you so much for the positive comments.**

 **New chapter will be updated either on Monday, Wednesday or Friday, for those who beg for a new chapter every day. :D.**

 **Love you guys 3**

 **Dr of all the Jaffa cakes**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews and kind words, if you have any questions don't feel afraid to ask. :D**

Chapter 9

Thalia's POV

 _The warriors all moved forward and stood around the figure, brandishing their weapons ready for a fight. Echidna let out a hiss of rage, before turning and fleeing into the woods behind her. Quickly all the monster followed suit, till only the warriors and we were left in the clearing._

The soldiers clad in black then turned their attention towards us. My heart was racing at unrivalled speeds. They stopped around 10 or so paces infront of us. They all had relatively minor wounds, but other than that they seemed fresh and ready for a fight. They had aided us against the monsters, but who said they were allies? They could crush us easily. My heart crept into my throat as they all stared us down. Nobody spoke a word.

The front lines of the soldiers suddenly parted and the boy with the sea green plume stepped out along with another boy. The boy with the sea green plume looked well built. He stood a little taller than his other comrades and was surrounded with a gravity of power and respect. The boy next to him was shorter, and instead of boasting a red plume like his comrades, had one that was entirely black.

These two, obviously the leaders of this band of warriors, stepped out and walked towards the remains of what was our hunt.

I finally drew my gaze away from the warriors and to what was left of my sisters. Phoebe was next to me knelt down at my side, she had an ugly gash on her cheek and another on her shoulder that was bleeding heavily. Atalanta stood just behind her limping heavily, bow in hand. She had an arrow through her right leg. The wound was turning an ugly shade of green, like mine, showing the evident spread of poison. Christy had a horrible cut on her side and was standing with one knife out protectively infront of the only surviving young hunter named Sophie, who for the most part had only minor wounds.

To my right Diana was kneeling down over the body of her twin sister, silently crying her eyes out. She wasn't even acknowledging the band of warriors infront of us. She was silently murmuring to herself. The last hunter who wasn't fatally injured was Evie. She was sat on the floor, hugging her legs to her. Her eyes were flickering from the dead hunters, to the warriors infront of us, to the rest of us. Her eyes finally rested on the two figures approaching us.

I turned back to the two boys who were now above me. I couldn't see their faces under their helmets, but they both walked with slumped shoulders, like they were upset. The boy with the black plume stayed standing whilst the boy with the green plume knelt down next to me. In a flash Phoebe had her knife at the side of his neck, on a piece of exposed flesh. A second later she had a sword at her throat, courtesy of the boy with the black plume. This sword was different to others though. It was black, made of Stygian iron, like Nico's. Atalanta drew her bow and aimed at the boy. A few seconds later some boys from the group pulled their spears and swords out and advanced on us, readying their weapons. Nobody moved.

"What do you think you are doing, _boy?"_ Phoebe spat out, pressing the blade a little closer to his jugular. To everyone's amazement he began chuckling. Phoebe faltered, lowering the blade a bit with a confused expression on her face.

A flash of sliver light drew everyone's attention. Artemis appeared, tears streaming down her face. Her eyes widened and she paled when she saw the standoff infront of her. She took a few paces forward until she was next to me. I looked around; we were heavily outnumbered by their forces, I had no idea if they were allies or enemies but at the way they fought alone, we wouldn't survive this if they were enemies.

"If you want your lieutenant to survive that arrow wound, and your friend over there hers. I'd suggest you let myself and my healers aid you." The boy stated towards Artemis. I narrowed my eyes at him. I recognised that voice, but I couldn't quite place it. Phoebe remained defiant with the blade next to him. He gave out a sigh. "I swear by the river Styx we mean you no harm and only wish to help you." He said clearly and quickly. My eyes widened at the fact that he was so willing to swear by the Styx within a second. I gave out a sigh of relief at the fact they were friendly.

Artemis turned to Phoebe and gave her a stern look. "Stand down!" she called out, eyeing the warriors infront of her nervously. Phoebe removed her weapon from his throat, and the sword at hers was hastily removed and sheathed. All the other warriors formed ranks other than 3 who stepped forward.

The boy with the green plume leaned forward and placed his hand just below the wound on my shoulder. "This might sting a bit." He said before quickly ripping the arrow out of my shoulder. I saw Artemis clench her fists in rage. She was clearly restraining herself because the boy had sworn on the Styx to aid us and we were in no position to fight.

A faint orange light began to flow from beneath his palm. I watched in awe as an orange mist crept out from under his hand and slowly covered the wound. I felt a tingling sensation where the wound was and slowly the mist dissipated until there was only a small scratch visible where the wound had been. The boy stood and wobbled a bit, only to be steadied by his friend. That had clearly taken a large portion of his energy, meaning he wasn't a god or immortal. He had to be a demi-god.

"Who are you?" Artemis asked, voicing my thoughts. He turned towards Artemis and paused for a moment. He bent his head down and slowly removed his helmet to reveal a handsome face, messy raven black hair and sea green eyes, now adorned with flecks of fire red. To say I was shocked was an understatement. Artemis's own eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

"Lady Artemis" he said bowing. I continued to stare in shock at my once missing best friend and cousin, who was now stood before me. "P-P….. Percy?" I choked out in disbelief. He turned towards me, with his signature lopsided smile. Oh gods how I had missed his smile, it was so annoyingly 'Percy'. "Hey Thals…"

I jumped up in a flash, ignoring all heart ache and sadness I'd been feeling and lunged at him. The force of me knocking into him knocked us to the floor, where I promptly landed on top of him. Tears rolled off my face as I buried my head in the crook of his neck and hugged him. He hugged me back with equal ferocity, rubbing soothing circles on my back.

"I'm here… And I promise I won't leave again." He whispered into me. I clenched my fist and pulled myself off him, delivering a thunderous slap to him. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!" I screamed at him. I did not get the reaction I wanted, as he started laughing again. I narrowed my eyes at him, ready to hit him again.

"Thalia… Would you mind?" he said with a smirk gesturing to his lower half. I looked down and blushed, I was straddling his waist in a very un-lady like way. My backside resting on his crotch. I quickly jumped up with a yelp, to which I earned another round of laughter from him.

He promptly stood up and gestured to some of the boys behind him. "Lady Artemis, please may we assist you." He said in a somewhat serious tone. She gave a quick nod and the soldiers behind Percy stepped forward to the most injured hunters, albeit apprehensively.

He turned back towards me. "I'll explain all after we have aided the wounded, and helped with the… dead." I wave of sadness hit me as I looked around the clearing. Littering the ground were bodies of my fallen sisters mixed in with piles upon piles of monster dust.

Percy stepped towards Phoebe a little gingerly. "May I?" he asked gesturing to her wounded shoulder. She gave a heavy sigh but nodded. He placed his hand on Phoebe and healed her wound. Once the orange mist disappeared, he crumpled backwards and was quickly caught by the boy with the black plume.

"You need to be careful, Perce. You'll knock yourself out." He said, slightly chuckling. I cocked my head at the warrior. Stygian Iron sword, Black plume. I only know one person that calls Percy 'Perce'. My eyes widened again. "Death Breath?" I called out towards him. He righted Percy and turned towards me, pulling his helmet off.

He received a similar hug and slap from me before I climbed off and turned to the now healed hunters and Artemis. They grouped up awkwardly, tears still rolling off their cheeks. Percy stepped towards them, away from Nico and I. Sophie and Diana visibly flinched as he approached, and scooted a little further behind Artemis.

He stepped up and bowed again. "Lady Artemis if I may?" He said gesturing further away from the hunters clearly wanting to talk in private. They both stepped away, Artemis asking me to follow.

"Nico is a minor god of the underworld, and with your permission we would like to help preceding the fallen hunter's funeral rights. Your girls have had enough sorrow for today and it would make it a little easier on them." He said a little sadly. A few more tears fell from Artemis's face. "T-Thank you." She whispered out. "There is no need my Lady. Nico will make sure they all reach Elysium."

Percy turned and walked to his soldiers. He whispered a few words to the group. A moment later Nico snapped his fingers and a large stack of stretchers appeared. Each of the soldiers removed their helmets and placed their weapons down on the floor before walking up in twos and picking up a stretcher. I inwardly smiled a little. Percy told them to remove their weapons as to show they are not a threat to the hunters.

The warriors gently and respectively gathered the dead, covering them in silver shrouds that Nico also made appear. They then brought the bodies back and lined them up in front of Lady Artemis, who was still crying. None of the soldiers met any of our eyes as they did, and slowly reformed ranks behind Percy and Nico. Artemis stepped forward and began saying goodbye to all the hunters. I stepped up next to her and was quickly followed by the rest of my sisters.

We said our goodbyes to each of our fallen sisters and then grouped up. All our eyes were raw red, and puffy. We were all crying without tears, as they had all since been used up. Nico snapped his fingers and all the bodies disappeared in a flash of black flames. We looked up at Percy and his group who were standing awkwardly.

"Lady Artemis, if you would, we will teleport back to your camp and proceed from there." Nico said a little warily. She gave a nod, not even turning away from where the bodies had been infront of her. A moment later we were standing in the clearing we had camped in last night. It was a large patch of open space near a river in the Adirondack Park.

"Girls… Set up camp here." Artemis said turning towards us, with slumped shoulders. She waved her hand her tent appeared. She gestured for me to follow along with Percy. He nodded and turned towards his comrades. "Guys set up camp as well, at the other end of the clearing." He said pointing to the other treeline a few hundred feet away. They all nodded and murmured before breaking ranks and walking away. Nico and Percy followed us into Artemis's tent where she sat on the floor. I sat down next to her, Percy and Nico opposite us.

We sat in silence for a few moments before Artemis spoke up. "Thank you for coming to the rescue Perseus. If you hadn't arrived, well... I fear the worst." She said a little sadly. He held up his hand. "If anything, my Lady, I must apologise for not arriving sooner." She gave him a questioning look. I was confused myself. "We have been after Echidna for around a week. Our best tracker had lost the trail and so we were almost wondering around looking for her." He stated

She took a quick glance at me before turning back to Percy. "Thalia, as well as I, are interested. Who are those boys you are travelling with?" she asked with a curious look. "And where in Hades have you been." I blurted out a little angrily. Nico coughed and gave me a glare. "What is it zombie boy?" I asked. "Could you not use my father's name like that." He responded. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Thalia!" Percy called out, breaking the staring contest. He cocked his head at me and gave me a knowing look. "Fine." I grumbled out.

"So…." Percy said

 _Flashback (Percy POV)_

It had been three days since I had left camp. My plan was to just blow off some steam, kill a few monsters and then maybe head to my mom's for a while, till I had regrouped my feelings. She had said she had a surprise for me when I Iris messaged her, though I was unsure what it was.

I was sat under a large oak tree somewhere outside of New York, licking my wounds from an earlier encounter with a temperamental empousia. I looked down at the large claw marks that raked across my chest and let out a small laugh. My needle work was a little less than awful. The wound was so deep that ambrosia and nectar couldn't properly fix it. The stitching went across in an awkward criss-cross fashion, and the skin had been pulled awkwardly.

A cold chill caught me and I let out an audible shiver. I couldn't put my t-shirt back on in risk of re-opening my wound. I needed to start a fire somehow to keep warm. I'd rather not freeze to death. I hoisted myself up and searched around for some kindling and firewood. After picking up some dry leaves I returned to where I had set up my 'makeshift' camp. If you could even call it a camp.

I dropped back down to the floor with a wince and began building a fire. Night time had just enveloped me. I knew that if I didn't start a fire I'd either freeze to death or be attacked by some monster.

I quickly pilled the wood up and reached into my bag looking for the lighter I had procured. I struck the flint a few times trying to start the fire, nothing happened. I cursed loudly, before trying to light it again. Again, nothing happened. A rumble of thunder above drew my gaze. I looked up at the dark storm clouds above me.

My shoulders slumped and I let my head lull forward as the first flicker of lightning touched down. Raindrops began to fall from the sky. I gave out a heavy sigh as my body began to soak through. I was too exhausted from days of constant running and fighting to dry myself. As the rain began to pick up, I wished I was at home with my mom, or back at camp with my friends. It had only been a few days, but I already missed them, and I hadn't seen my mom in a long time. I was eager to see her again.

Suddenly the rain around me stopped and the fire infront of me flickered to life. I instinctively reached for my pocket whilst looking around carefully.

A young girl with luscious flowing brown hair sat down next to me, with a silent grace. Her cheeks were a rosy red colour and she had a very slight upturned nose. Her eyes were a warm, fiery brown colour. My eyes widened in realisation and I quickly bowed my head. "Lady Hestia…" I said quickly "To what do I owe the pleasure."

She cocked her head at me and scrunched her eyebrows together, as if she was confused. "I heard your wish, wanting be home." She said poignantly. She looked at me sadly for a few seconds before speaking up.

"I said you wouldn't be able to avoid this conversation Perseus." She said with a glare. I bolted up straight when she mentioned it and instantly winced in pain as blood began to flow from the now re-opened wound. Hestia's eyes flickered down to my wound for a second before back up to my eyes.

She placed her hand on my un wounded shoulder and began sending small pulses of orange light through my body. I watched in awe as my crude attempt at stitching, un-stitched itself and the muscle and skin began to connect as the wound slowly closed. She continued sending pulses of warm light into me until all that was left was a small white scratch, which promptly disappeared.

I looked up at Hestia with a smile, which she playfully returned. "Thank you, Lady Hestia." The small smile on her face, quickly switched into a frown. Uh oh… what did I say? "Really Perseus?" she blared out giving me a stare. "After saving our family, not once, but twice from utter destruction and earning the respect of well… everyone. Please… just Hestia will do." She stated in a commanding tone, like she would accept nothing else. "Like for like. I'd prefer it if you called me Percy. I don't like Perseus, it's way to formal." Hestia cracked a grin at this and nodded. "Very well… Percy."

A few moments of comfortable silence passed, where I just stared at the crackling fire, whilst rain splashed down 5 or so meters away. "Now Percy, I must ask; What are you doing out here?" she said gesturing to her surroundings. A thought crossed my mind before it was instantly ripped away by Hestia. "And don't you dare try and lie to me." She said forcefully.

I dropped my head and looked down to the floor. "I dunno… I… guess I'm trying to find something to do." I said with a heavy sigh. I felt a gentle had press against my chin and lift my head up. I came face to face with Hestia's warm brown eyes. The normal, enchanting effect having little to no effect on me. She scrunched her face as she peered straight into my eyes. I felt like a layer of my soul was being ripped back and exposed to her as she continued to stare.

A few moments later she slumped her shoulders forward and dropped her gaze. "Hestia?" I asked gently with a quizzical look. I leaned forward and place my hand on her cheek. I felt a warm tear touch my thumb that had silently rolled from her eye.

"Percy... I know how you feel and what has happened. When a God looks through a person's memories, they can also experience the feelings at that point in time if they wish. You have been through more than most in history." She said sadly. "And I know how much you hurt."

I felt tears slowly rise up as past memories of my life came to fruition. I reached out and pulled Hestia into a hug, to which she gladly returned. If she had experienced what I had, then I knew the comfort that she would desire, because I also longed for some kind of comfort.

"Percy, I know how much you loved her. And I know she felt the same way. I'm not going to ask you to forget Annabeth." I winced when she said her name. "Celebrate her life and the happiness she brought to those around her and to you. But she wouldn't want you sat moping around over her. She would want you to be strong. Be strong Percy. Be Strong for Annabeth."

I gave Hestia a small smile and nodded, feeling a tear come loose from my eye. She stood up and looked down at me. "Now Percy, I know you feel your time at Camp Half-Blood has come to an end. You seek a purpose. Now if you are sure, I may have an Idea." She said offering her hand out to me. I weighed the pro's and con's of both sides. I could head back to camp and live out my days for however long it takes for the next Prophecy to come around, or I could take Hestia's mysterious offer and be doing something.

After a few moments, I raised my head and looked up at her shining eyes. A smile crossed my face and I reached out and took her hand. There was a flash of light and I felt my stomach lurch to the side and twist in a knot.

I instantly bent forward as a feeling of nausea fell upon me. As my vision began to clear of the blurriness, I saw that the floor beneath me was of a familiar white stucco marble. I instinctively looked up and came face to face with 14 thrones, 3 of which were occupied.

I instantly dropped to one knee infront of Zeus. He gave a grunt towards me before gesturing for me to stand. "Percy… Where have you been? Chiron found your note and contacted us immediately." My father said with a worried expression across his face. "I'm okay dad… it's just…"

My dad gave me a pained expression and turned to Zeus and Hestia. "I am inclined to agree with your plan sister. Young Perseus here is more than capable of defending himself." I looked around in confusion at them. Hestia flashed down to my side and shrank to her mortal size. "Percy, I have told Lord Zeus of your ailments at Camp and your wish for a _purpose_ of sorts. We have both agreed that with your and Poseidon's consent we will send you to rescue half-bloods like the satyrs from camp half-blood. However, we will be sending you to places where the protectors cannot go as it would be too dangerous for them; Such as horribly abusive families or monster hotspots."

My eye's widened to the size of dinner plates. This sounded extremely dangerous as I would be going up against mortals as well as monsters. But it would be a fresh start for me, something I so desperately needed. "I'll accept on one condition." I said earning some curious gazes from the 3 elder children of Kronos and Rhea.

"Can you keep it quiet from everyone, gods and demi-gods. Until they find out on their own or I'm ready to return to camp?" They all looked at me like I was from another planet, and initiated in mental conversations with each other. Poseidon backed out early and dropped his head to stare out the floor. Eventually Zeus also dropped his gaze from Hestia, showing she had won whatever it is they were talking about.

"it is the least we can do for you Percy." Hestia announced before smiling. "We swear it on the Styx." Thunder boomed outside and Zeus shifted uncomfortably in his throne. "Very well Perseus. We shall begin sending you to half-bloods in the most serious amount of distress and you may guide them to camp." He declared. He gave a curt nod to us before flashing out in a bolt of lightning. Poseidon stepped from his throne and shrunk down to his human size. He placed a hand on my shoulder before pulling me into an embrace. "I am proud of you Percy. Good luck with your new 'job'." He gave me a wink before dissolving into a breeze.

I turned to face Hestia and gave her a bow of respect. "I guess I should be giving you my thanks Hestia." She gave a small smile before gesturing towards the hearth. We both took a seat near the base of the hearth. "Percy I would like to offer you something." Offer me something? I raised my eyebrows and nodded for her to continue.

"Would you like to become my Champion?" she asked a little apprehensively, like she was worried I would reject her. I gave her a big smile "Of course Hestia. Of course I will become your Champion." Her face broke into a wide grin. "Well then my Champion, you have a decision to make. I have the power of the hearth and home, as well as the power of fire. Would you rather the control of fire, or that of the hearth and home."

I looked at Hestia, her left hand was slightly clenched. She looked visibly tense, like I would make a poor… decision. "The hearth and home." I responded simply. She relaxed like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "I do not know why I had a doubt in my mind about you Percy." She said cracking an even bigger smile. She pressed her index finger on my forehead and instantly felt as if my body had been subject to a pressure wash. I blinked a few times as she pulled away. "Your new abilities are your own to discover. But know I will be watching over you." She said mysteriously before disappearing in a column of flames.

I was left alone next to the crackling hearth of the Olympian Throne Room. After a few moments, I stood up and made my way out of Olympus and down to New York City.

(4 Months Later)

I was stood outside a rundown apartment building near the edge of Boston. Hermes, being only him and now Hephaestus who knew of my new job and what had become of me, had told me of a son of Apollo who was in serious trouble, he had given me an address and told me to head there as soon as possible, leaving out any details.

I opened the door and crept into the stairwell. I tugged on a pendant around my neck, a gift from my patron Hestia and Hephaestus for saving his daughter from one horrid troupe of giants. A set of black Olympic Silver armour adorned with silver trimmings formed around my body, neatly forming under my bag straps. A set of black vambraces on my arms and greaves on my legs. After going on multiple missions and always ending up injured in some way, I decided it was about time to get some armour. Hestia with Lord Hephaestus's help had then soon gifted me this new set of armour, as if reading my mind.

The armour was lightweight, yet as strong as steel. It was made of the same substance the hunters use in their weapons; Olympic Silver. Like Celestial bronze or Imperial Gold, it had the power to kill monsters, but was rather rare in comparison to the other two.

I crept up to the address, _room 413_ , the door smelled of cigarettes and alcohol. There was a stain on the door, that looked like the door was made of really flimsy old wood and was about to crumble any second. "COME HERE YOU LITTLE SHIT!" I heard a voice ring out from the apartment. Without even thinking a raised my foot parallel to the floor and kicked the door with as much force as possible. The door broke off its hinges and fell to the floor.

I stepped inside to see a man clutching a young boy, maybe 13 years old, by the throat. He had the boy pinned up against the wall. The boy was a tell-tale son of Apollo with blonde hair and blue eyes. My eyes shifted to an unconscious form on the floor. A young woman, late twenties at most, with strawberry blonde hair and an acute frame. She had blood pouring out of a horrible wound on her forehead. A bloody hammer rested on the floor next to her.

"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU!?" the man roared out, loosening his grip on the boy. I ripped my gaze back up to the man and the first thought that came across my mind was 'Smelly Gabe'. He was large, with a big beer belly on show. He reeked of alcohol and cigarettes. The floor around the apartment was littered with empty bottles and cans as well as cigarette buds.

"I'M TALKING TO YOU!" He roared out dropping the poor boy to the floor and approaching me. I drew a long hunting knife from on the side of my leg. There was nothing special about this knife other than the fact that it was ridiculously sharp. It was made of mortal steel and was what I used to incapacitate or scare off mortals who tried to attack me.

He seemed momentarily taken back by the knife in my hands. "He's coming with me. I don't want to use force." I announced, gesturing towards the wide-eyed, bruised boy on the floor. "Like fucking hell you will!" he responded, scooping up the bloodied hammer off the floor. I flipped my knife into the 'ice pick' position and readied myself. Without another moment's notice, he charged at me from across the small apartment ready to bludgeon me.

I simply side stepped his first swing and stuck my leg out in order to trip him up. He fell to the floor with a crash but instantly jumped back to his feet. "ONCE I'VE KILLED YOU I'M GONNA KILL THAT DISGUSTING LITTLE BASTARD!" He yelled charging at me again. This time I had lost all amount of patience with him. I caught his arm as he swung and drove my dagger deep into the opposite shoulder. His head snapped down to the now impaled dagger, before snapping up to my cocked fist with wide eyes. His jaw let out an earth shattering crack as I punched him, and he swiftly dropped to the floor unconscious.

I ripped my dagger out of his limp form and sheathed it before turning to the boy. He was now sat protectively infront of his mother, tears streaming off his face. I stepped towards him and he flinched. I winced a little. This was going to be difficult. I squatted down a few feet from him. "Hi, I'm Percy. I'm here to help you." I said softly. Tears continued to stream from his face as he looked down at what I would assume was his mother.

"I-If… y-you're here to… help me… P-Ple-ase h-h-help my m-mom." He choked out between sobs. I gave him a quick nod, I knew it was a long shot. "Okay then... I'll need your help. Go get a glass of water from the kitchen." I said with a little encouragement. I shuffled forward to the fatally injured woman whilst the boy ran and got a glass of water.

"I'm going to try everything I can to save her." I told him placing a hand on his shoulder as he knelt next to me. I used my new power from Hestia to fill him with hope, to which he gave me a determined nod. I turned my attention back to the woman and rolled her onto her back. There was a massive cut on her forehead that kept leaking out blood.

I willed the water out of the glass on the floor and the boy gasped in shock. I coated my hands in a thin layer of water and placed them on either side of her wound. The water flowed from my hands, across her skin and created a small bubble over the wound, whilst orange mist poured from beneath my hands and into the wound. I grimaced as I felt a wave of nausea overcome me. My gut twisted in an unsavoury way, but I kept strong as I slowly felt the wounds on her head begin to close up. After another few moments, I dispersed the water and mist and fell backwards breathing heavily. I watched as the woman winced a little. "MOM!" The boy cried in relief at his mother's movement. Her eyes fluttered open. "A-Apollo?" she questioned gently focusing on the boy above her. Well that confirmed that she knew of the gods, as Apollo had told her his name. "Mom it's me, Ethan" he whispered. Her eyes widened and she pulled him into a hug. A few moments later she pulled out of the hug and sat up looking around widely. Her eyes snapped to the body of the man on the floor and then to me.

She instantly pulled the Ethan behind her protectively. "Who are you!" she asked in a fierce yet scared tone. I rose onto my knees and then stood. "His name is… Percy, right?" he said/asked not to sure of himself. I gave him a nod and small smile. "He kicked in the door and saved me from Stan. He then used magic to heal you. It was so awesome!" Yup, definitely his father's son. She seemed to relax a little at this but hushed him.

"Your son, his uncle sent me to get him." I said, knowing full well she knew what family I was speaking about. "Uncle? I don't have an uncle do I?" He asked his mom. She didn't take her gaze off me. "Yes, your uncle Hermes sent me." I stated. The woman's eyes widened at the name of Hermes. She knew exactly what I was talking about, that just confirms it. I gave her a knowing look.

I offered my had out for her to shake. "Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon." I said simply with a smile. She closed her eyes for a few seconds before reluctantly reaching out and shaking my hand. "Jackie… I assume you'll take him to camp." I nodded to her. "You know he can't stay out here forever." I replied.

She took a deep breath and turned to her son. "I love you Ethan. You were the greatest gift I could receive." She said softly as tears flowed down her face. She pulled him into a hug as he began to cry. "Mom, I don't understand." He croaked out. She rubbed his back soothingly.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up on end. I turned and looked out of the broken door into the poorly lit hallway. I crept towards the door frame and peered around the corner. I saw two dracaenae with spears and shields walking down the corridor. A feral growl drew my attention to the other side. A couple cyclopes were walking from the other side. I internally cursed and spun around to two worried looks.

"We have to get out of here now." I clamoured drawing riptide and cross-current. Both their eyes widened when they saw the swords. "Fire escape, NOW!" I yelled and pushed them both towards it. I climbed over the railing just as I saw the first cyclops enter the room. We quickly and quietly descended to the ground floor and ran out of the alleyway. They followed me until we reached the nearest train station, which was only a few minutes' walk.

When we arrived, Jackie stopped and turned to her son. "Ethan, I can't follow where you're going. But you have to follow Percy. He'll protect you." She pleaded to him. I nodded to her in affirmation and she pulled him into another hug. I slung off my backpack and pulled out $1000 in cash neatly wrapped up. "Take this. Once you have moved on and settled down I'm sure Ethan would like to visit you." She broke from the hug and took the money. "Thank you, Percy. Please… promise me." She begged. "I promise." I said simply. She gave me a small smile, kissed her son on the forehead and waved before disappearing off round a corner.

I turned to Ethan, his eyes puffy red from crying. "Ethan, I want you to know that was the hardest thing your mom has ever done." I said sadly as I put my hand on his shoulder. He gave me a watery smile. "Thanks." He murmured. We walked into the train station together and bought tickets to New York.

The train journey went off without a hitch. And it was early evening when our taxi arrived at the borders at camp. Ethan and I had really bonded over the journey and I had gotten him to open up. I had told him all about the gods and what camp was like. He was flabbergasted when I showed him my two swords, and how they turned from a pen and ring into swords. I hadn't told him his father was Apollo, and was happy enough to let him get claimed.

I stopped at the base of the hill. Ethan gave me a confused look. "Camp is just over there." I said pointing up towards Thalia's tree. He cocked his head at me. "Why does it sound like you aren't coming with me?" he questioned. I gave a pained expression. This normally happened when I parted with a half-blood.

"Ethan, I'm not going back into camp. I've had a… somewhat difficult past. Now I help half-bloods across the country." I recited. This conversation had happened many times, and every time the half-blood left eventually parted with me, swearing to never speak of me and say they were delivered to camp.

He crossed his arms and stared at me with raised eyebrows. "What?" I asked in confusion. "I'm not going if you're not." He said before strutting over to log and sitting down. I raised my eyebrow's before shaking my head and walking over to him. "Ethan, camp is the only safe place for demi-gods." I said sitting down next to him. He turned to look at me with a defiant expression. I sighed "Where are you going to go then?" I asked. He gave a nonchalant shrug "With you."

I furrowed my eyebrows at him. "You promised my mom you'd protect me. I don't want to go to this stupid camp, I want to come with you." He pleaded. I lulled my head forward and sighed. "Ethan, what I do is dangerous. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you." He gained a determined look across his face. "You'll protect me though." He claimed. "But… You can't even fight." I stated. "Then you can teach me." he said a smirk growing on his face knowing I was starting to lose the conversation.

"Ethan, come on." I pleaded. "Nope." He said bluntly. I gave a sigh of defeat and saw victory stretch across his face. "Fine." I muttered. He jumped up and pulled me into a hug.

-Line Break-

"And that's pretty much how our group came together. A couple of months later Nico stumbled across us, and being a 'God of Heroes' it was well within his domain to join us." I concluded. "Any questions." Artemis and Thaila just sat there with shocked expressions. Artemis piped up first. "how is it you look younger than 21?" she questioned.

"Easy, once we had our little band together, we eventually started going on much harder missions. Zeus was so impressed with us that he granted us partial immortality, like your hunters. It was a reward for saving his only other child apart from you and Jason, Thalia." I responded looking at Thalia.

Thalia's eyes widened. "Dad had another child!?" she asked. I simply nodded in return. We sat there for a moment in silence. "I must see to the girls. It's been a tough day." Artemis said. "I must report what has happened to the council. Thalia if you could make sure they all eat. It will be hard, but you must try." At this point she turned to me. "Perseus… Thank you. It would remove a great weight on my shoulders if you and your… ah… group could stay until I return from the meeting and watch over the hunters." I blinked a few times. The guys may not be happy about staying near a group of man haters.

"Of course, Lady Artemis." I said bowing my head slightly. She nodded and disappeared in a flash of light. Thalia, Nico and I exited the tent. Thalia went off to her hunters who were all in their tents, whilst Nico and I went back to our own campsite. We gathered everyone up and sat down around our campfire.

"Guys, Lady Artemis has requested that we stay and protect the hunters whilst she is on Olympus." I announced earning some groans. They all knew about the hunters, luckily not from experience as they can be quite testy. "I know, I know. But they have suffered greatly, you saw how many fell yourselves. I want you all to remain alert, but other than that…" I paused for dramatic effect. "You have the day to do with as you wish!" They all cheered in response. Not once since our group had formed did they receive a day off where they could just kick it and relax. Every day was hard training or missions.

The group all split apart and went off to do various activities or just relax. Nico stayed next to me as we sat at the camp fire. A moment later Hermes appeared in a flash. "Hello Percy." Nico and I both bowed to Hermes before returning to our feet.

"The council have asked for your presence…" Hermes said gesturing to both Nico and I. I looked at Nico and he just shrugged. "Okay." I said with my own shrug.

The world lurched sideways and when I opened my eyes I was stood before the council. All of the council members were staring at us with shock and strangely awe. "Well young Perseus. It appears the jig is up." Zeus thundered out in a somewhat light tone, turning my attention. "Lord Zeus, what is it the council needs?" I asked staring up at him. "It appears I owe you my thanks." He said. I furrowed my eyebrows at him and looked at the faces of the rest of the council. "Artemis has explained that you came to her hunt's rescue. Without you I fear they may have all perished." He said gesturing over to a pale and sad Artemis.

"It was nothing Lord Zeus, just doing my duty." I said simply. He grunted in respect before gesturing over to Hestia where two simple stools sat at the base of her throne. Nico and I walked over and sat beneath our groups patron.

"Artemis." Zeus called out. She raised her head and looked at him sadly. "Yes Father?" she responded blandly. "It is no secret among the council that you suffer a great energy loss when something like this happens to one of your domains. I would like you to stay at Camp Half-Blood for the foreseeable future until you are back to strength." She gave out a small sigh but nodded.

"Brother." Hestia spoke out earning everyone's attention. She gave him a look and an obvious mental debate took course. Everyone watched them closely for about a minute, not a word being spoken. "Very well sister, it seems like a good idea." He said breaking the silence of the room.

"Artemis, I would like young Perseus and his group to accompany you to camp to ensure your safety. This tragedy may have been avoided if your hunters had more rigorous melee training." He announced. My eyes widened in shock, as did everyone else's.

"WHAT!" Artemis screamed out, jumping up from her throne. "I WILL NOT TRAVEL WITH A GROUP OF DISGUSTING MALES!" She yelled jabbing her thumb in our direction. "SILENCE!" Zeus roared effectively shutting her up. She dropped back to her throne with a very upset expression. "Perseus has yet to let us down, he and his group are very effective in close-quarters and will be avid protection for **two** of my daughters. I could not bear it if you or Thalia were killed" He said in an icy tone, leaving no room for argument.

"But father they're males, they wil…" Artemis started only to be cut off by Hestia who shot up from her throne. "Artemis! I know the train of thought you are about to head down and I implore you to bury it somewhere. My Champion and his brothers-in-arms are nothing like that." She announced shocking the entire room. Hestia for the most part was the most peaceful and quite goddess. She would rarely speak up against someone in a meeting.

Hestia looked down at me and gave me a nod. I stood and walked over to Artemis who was giving me the evil eye. I carefully bowed at the foot of her throne. "Lady Artemis, I swear to the Styx on behalf of myself and my group to be nothing but respectful and courteous towards you and your hunt. They have been trained and they know well. We swear to protect you to the best of our ability, with our lives if necessary." I said loudly, drawing a few gasps. I looked up to see a wide-eyed Artemis staring down at me. I added the last bit on to prove that we were willing to help her and her hunters and this was not some kind of joke.

"There daughter. If it eases your conscience, Percy has just sworn upon his own life for that of his group." Zeus said with a small smile directed towards me. "If that is all then? I bid this meeting adjourned!"

 **A/N: I'm going to answer some questions I have been getting. If anyone has any questions for me, please feel free to leave a review or msg me!**

' _ **Pairing?'**_ **\- I have no idea who Percy is going to be pared with, which is why I am letting you guys decide. At the end of every chapter are the results for the votes I receive.**

' _ **Where is the poll?'**_ **– heh, This is my first FF. I have been told I can literally open a poll but have no idea how (and cba to find out). So if you guys want to vote, leave a review or message me or whatever. I read and reply to everything :D.**

' _ **Will this be a 'guardian' story?" –**_ **Erm.. no and yes. Not traditional is how I would describe it. As you can see so far in the story. It won't be like any guardian story you have read before.**

 **If anyone has any good recommendations, I have no idea what to call Percy's 'Group'. Send a message or review or something if you have any ideas!**

 **Finally ugh. Poll, thanks for all the votes and keep them coming!**

 **Artemis: 22**

 **Thalia: 15**

 **Annabeth: 11**

 **Zo** **ë: 7**

 **Aphrodite: 3**

 **Hestia: 1**

 **Thanks so much guys. See you soon!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The majority of the council flashed out with the exception of Apollo, Hestia and Artemis the latter of which was sat on her throne with her head in her hands. Hestia walked over and pulled her into an embrace whilst Apollo walked over to me.

"Thank you for doing that for my sister, Percy. I don't know what I'd do if she died." He said sadly, looking over at Artemis who was silently sobbing into Hestia's embrace. "Percy, her domain has suffered a great change, and that means her power will wane." He stated seriously. I gave a nod of understanding. Artemis being one of the most prideful of goddesses will act like nothing is wrong, and it could lead to something worse happening.

Apollo placed a hand on my shoulder and gave me a small smile. "I'll help wherever I can." He said before dissolving into a bright golden light. I looked up to Artemis who was quietly talking with Hestia. A few feet from the throne, Thalia was sat next to Nico. She had red-rimmed eyes and her shoulders were slumped. They were both watching Hestia and Artemis.

I gave a small sigh before walking over to the two goddesses. I stopped at the base of the throne keeping my head lowered to the floor. There was a bright flash infront of me and when I looked up, Artemis and Hestia were at their human height. Hestia gestured to Nico and Thalia. They quietly stood and made their way over.

Hestia grabbed mine and Artemis's hands. Realising what she was trying to do, I reached over and grabbed Nico's, who already was holding onto Thalia's arm. I closed my eyes and the world spun for a second before I heard a soft thud below us.

I opened my eyes to find us in Artemis's tent.

"Thalia, we must go see to your sisters." Artemis responded quickly before ushering us all out of the tent. Artemis's skin had taken a greyer complexion that made her look somewhat ill. Her eyes had lost the shine that was once there and her auburn hair had lost some of its colour.

We gave one last bow to Artemis before turning and walking back to our campsite. As we walked through the maze of tents we knocked on the doors and told everyone to meet by the campfire in a few minutes.

Nico ran off to the training area, whilst I went to the table where a few guys were eating lunch. As I approached the picnic table everyone stopped eating and turned their attention towards me.

"We're having a group meeting by the campfire, so finish up your food and be there in a couple of minutes." They all nodded in understanding and began wolfing down their food.

The campfire in the centre of our campsite is where we would usually spend our leisure time, if not in our tents. It is a circular pit about 2ft in diameter. There are large sitting logs stretching all the way round the fire in two rows.

Over half of the guys were already sat around the fire waiting for this meeting. I looked up to see Nico with everyone else walking towards us from the training area.

There was a quiet murmuring among them as the last of them trickled in and sat down.

Once Nico joined me standing up all the chatter quietened down.

"What news from Olympus?" one called out. I turned over to Nico who was standing, arms crossed and eyebrows raised.

I gave out a sigh and began explaining the council meeting in detail. Some turned an ashen colour as I described our new role and orders from Zeus.

"So yeah, basically now we have to travel with the Hunt until they are at camp half-blood. It's around a 5-day trek from where we are now. We are going to leave tomorrow morning so get some rest."

A younger boy with brown hair, Matthew, stuck his hand up. I gave him a nod and he stood. "Why can't we just teleport? With Nico and Artemis, surely it'd be enough to take us all there?"

I took a quick glance at Nico, who's eyes had widened.

"I'm not going to lie to you guys, Artemis has suffered a great power loss because of the immediate drop in her hunter's numbers, and as such she won't be herself for a while."

Some of the boys got confused looks on their faces, whilst others just nodded in understanding.

"Any more questions?" I called out. Nobody raised their hands. "Well then it's about time for dinner." I announced with a smile.

A round of cheers circled the group as we all got up and headed towards the picnic tables. We had two really large tables that sat about 16 each. There was no organised seating, we just all randomly sat down.

Once everyone was seated they all turned and looked at me expectantly. I gave a small smile and clapped my hands.

When Hestia became my patron, I was granted powers over the hearth. She told me that if it was her full blessing I'd also have control of fire as well. I had been given the power to incite hope into other beings and calm them down, heal and summon home cooked food.

Every time I summoned home cooked food I was still in awe as to how it appeared. A moment after I clapped my hands a few slices of pizza along with a range of sides 'burnt' into existence on everyone's plates. Imagine something catching fire and really quickly burning up till there is nothing left, not even ashes. Then put it on reverse.

The food starts off as a small fire and quickly moves and forms into the desired food type in a flash of flames. All of this occurs in less than 2 seconds.

Once the food appeared I slumped forward and had to grab onto the table to steady myself. Ethan, who was sat next to me and had become a close friend of mine over the years, placed a hand on my shoulder and helped steady me.

Even after years of using my hearth powers they still took a massive toll on me. They weren't as natural to me as water powers and I would usually end up a slight bit disorientated after, but not for long.

I looked up to see everyone joking around and shovelling their food down. Pizza was a rare treat for us, but seemed necessary for the occasion. I gave a small smile and nod to Ethan who returned to his food. I was about to start eating when I noticed a glint of silver in the distance.

I could just about see the hunters, all gathered round their fire. Gods know they must be having a tough time. I gave a small sigh and returned to my food.

The sounds of laughter filled the night as we ate, and once we were all finished, we scraped the remains of any food into a brazier at the end of the tables and sacrificed to the Gods and our Patron Hestia.

You see after Ethan joined us, it became and almost recurring theme that some of the Demi-gods we rescued would join us. Though we were yet to accept any girls, as they all either went to camp or the hunt later on. Some of the younger hunters who had died, I had escorted to camp, and would have come with our small group if not for their hatred of boys.

Once our group got larger Zeus officially made us a unit of Olympus, like the hunters. Hestia became our patron, and we were sent into the most dangerous monster hotspots to save demi-gods or hunt the worst of monsters. Though it was usually the first.

Each of the soldiers were granted a set of armour similar to mine when they joined, and when they did they took an oath to serve Olympus to their dying breaths.

After an incident where we saved a young daughter of Zeus, we were granted partial immortality to continue our service forever.

Up until the council meeting, the only gods who knew of our group were the Big Three, Hestia, Hephaestus and Hermes. Zeus and Poseidon were at the original meeting, and Hades found out from Nico. Hestia was our patron of course. Hermes would come to us with missions and Hephaestus supplied us with weapons and equipment.

"Percy!?" Nico said punching me in the arm. I blinked and looked, everyone had since left and gone to the campfire. I had apparently just been standing there spacing out.

Nico had a smirk plastered across his face and was just watching me.

"Ugh… let's go." I said dumping the last of the food into the fire.

We approached the campfire to find everyone else already in our nightly sing-along. A tradition I'd picked up from Camp Half-blood, we all gathered round and sung songs, roasting marshmallows and smores.

I squeezed in next to Ethan on the edge of a log and joined in with the singing. After a couple of very non-serious songs, it descended into telling jokes and funny stories about our lives. Surprisingly, Nico had come up with this Idea. It drew all of us closer and we became very good friends. It was also a great way to get people with rougher pasts to open up.

At around half ten, most of the group had trickled off to bed, and the fire was slowly dying down. I waved goodnight to Nico and made my way to my tent.

I opened the flap and took in the scene of my home for the past few years. It was a simple brown tent, that was magically larger on the inside, though not by much. I had a double bed resting on one side and a desk and closet on the other. A simple wool rug was sprawled across the floor.

I sighed and began taking off my armour. A simple armour stand stood next to my closet. It had room for each armour piece as well as my shield. A weapons rack stood against the footboard of my bed, which already had a spear and two knives on. Riptide and Cross-current, being magical I didn't have to place there.

I took off my boots and threw them on the floor before diving into my bed and curling under the blanket, and before I knew it, I was in the realm of Morpheus.

-Line Break-

I woke up after a long night of dreamless sleep. I rolled over and got up off my bed. I quickly got up and changed into my camo clothing before strapping my armour on.

As I was tying my last boot lace, a knock on the front of my tent drew my attention.

"Who is it?" I called out "It's Nico. The guys are all up and ready for breakfast." He yelled back. I slung my shield over my back, grabbed my helmet and spear and walked over to the tent flap.

Nico was leaning lazily on one of the support beams his helmet under his arm and shield on his back. He raised his eyebrows at me but said nothing. We quickly walked over to the dining area and sat down. Nobody even noticed us as we approached as they were all deep in their own conversations.

I sat down next to Nico and clapped my hands once. An array of breakfast foods burnt into existence infront of everyone, inciting some cheers. Without another beat, everyone jumped in and started loading their plates with eggs, bacon, pancakes, sausages, you name it.

I sat still for a few minutes trying to quell the sickly feeling in my stomach. After a while I began eating along with everyone else.

After we had sacrificed our leftovers, I stood and got everyone's attention.

"Alright everyone... I know this is going to be a tough few days for us all, but I expect nothing but your best. We're going to break camp and then head over to the hunters. When we stop later today, you're going to resume normal training."

This earned some groans and complaints, but nothing serious.

Nico nudged me from the side "This is why you shouldn't give them days off. It goes to their heads." This earned a round of laughter from everyone.

"Jake, Matt, Ryan! You're responsible for the armoury and storage tents." Everyone proceeded to get up and see to their tents and supplies.

I walked over to my tent and began packing up. "Κοντά" I muttered under my breath whilst waving my hand infront of the symbol on the wooden frame of the tent. The symbol was Hestia's, it looked like an almost table with horns attached to it. The tent instantly began folding itself and rolling up, till it was about the size of a sleeping bag rolled up.

I picked up my tent and strapped it to my back before walking over and joining the others in their varying states of packing.

Nico was sat on a tree stump, his pitch-black tent in-between his feet. He was staring off into the distance at the hunts camp, which had yet to have any movement from.

We all gathered round, ready to walk over to the hunt, not a trace of our campsite other than a charred campfire.

"Ready?" I asked nudging Nico. He gave me a slight nod.

We all began slowly walking over to the silver tents at the other side of the clearing. We were all apprehensive as to get close to the hunters, their reputation isn't exactly all peaches and rainbows.

When we arrived at the edge of the small camp, not a peep could be heard. All the hunters were sat around a small table with Artemis at the head. They all had red-rimmed eyes that were puffy from crying. Artemis herself looked as if she'd been crying.

After a moment, Artemis's eyes flicked up to us with a look of rage. I heard someone gulp from behind me. I motioned for them all to stay where they were as I approached the hunters.

At this point all the hunters were watching me quietly. I approached Artemis and gave a slight bow. "Lady Artemis, we are ready to begin our journey to camp half-blood."

She gave me a slight nod before turning to her hunters. "Girls, pack up camp." She stated simply. Thalia gave me a small smile before running off with her sisters to pack up their tents. Artemis watched as they all ran off before her eyes flicked back to me.

"I trust you can keep up with us, Perseus." she said with a slight gesture towards the group of black clad boys behind me. I gave a nod of affirmation before returning to the guys, who were all standing there awkwardly.

I looked up to see one of the hunters mouth the word 'males' to another, who had a disgusted look on her face. I gave out a sigh.

Once all the hunters had packed and gathered up around their mistress she turned and led the way into the forest without another word.

We followed at a jog, around 10 paces behind the hunt as to give them their space. Chatter was light as we had to focus on the run. Truth is we weren't long distance runners.

At around mid-afternoon we stopped for a quick lunch break, at which point most of us were winded. I clapped my hands and made a few platters of mixed sandwiches appeared, before I collapsed onto my back from exhaustion.

After a couple of minutes someone nudged me on the side.

I looked to see a couple of the hunters squared off against a few of the guys.

"Where did you get those sandwiches, boy? I didn't see you carrying any bags." she spat out in a venomous tone.

I looked around for Artemis, but couldn't find her anywhere, so I got up and staggered over to the hunters.

"What's the problem?" I yelled pushing the guy back away from the hunter, who looked ready to attack him.

She narrowed her eyes at me and clenched her fists. She took a quick right hook at me. However, it was short lived as she was yanked backwards by Thalia, who had been tending to the only young hunter.

"Atalanta!" she yelled getting in the girls face. "What the heck is wrong with you? Who cares where they got the fucking sandwiches, Lady Artemis and Phoebe will be back in a minute with something for us to eat." She said pushing the girl a little farther away from us.

The girl turned and stomped off towards the rest of the hunters who had gathered a little further from us.

"Sorry about that Percy… You know what they can be like." Thalia said with a wince before walking off.

I turned back around to a wide-eyed audience. "All of that, for a sandwich… really?" someone called out from the back. I shook my head, although I cracked a small smile.

A few moments later Artemis and Phoebe returned with a small doe, and began butchering it. They then lit a small fire and made some stew for the hunters.

We then resumed our 240-mile trek to Camp Half-Blood, though we stayed a bit further away from the hunters.

-Line Break-

We set up camp in the late afternoon in a small wooded area away from any population. We set up our tents and our training area, which consisted of some targets and dummies. I set everyone to work training their various skills, whether it is swordsmanship, archery, throwing weapons or powers.

I had Bruce, the eldest and most head-wise son of Ares (I know) to work on the groups phalanx and shield wall formations.

We sparred in different formations and scenarios for a couple of hours, every now and again I would catch a glimpse of the hunters watching us.

Around early evening I sent everyone off to get cleaned up and ready for dinner.

I went over to the dining area and summoned a large barbeque for everyone. I promptly collapsed into my seat and waited until for everyone to trickle back for dinner.

As we were all tucking in a flash of flames drew our attention. Our patron stepped forward with a smile on her face. We all dipped our heads in recognition. Nico and I stood and walked over to her.

We bowed to her earning a slight growl.

"Lady Hestia, to wh-" I was cut off by her hand. "Percy… how many times do I have to tell you." She voiced with narrowed eyebrows.

I cracked a smile. "My apologies, Hestia. To what do we owe the pleasure." She smirked at me. "There are two half-bloods in a city close by; Children of Apollo… Twins. They prayed for a home and a loving family, and I heard. They are at 314 Mercer St." she said with a slight scowl.

"Of course milady." I said with a slight bow. She erupted in flames and disappeared. I turned to Nico, who gave me a shrug.

"I'd best go tell Lady Artemis and the hunters." I said to Nico, before walking off in the direction of the hunters.

I approached the hunters who were in the middle of eating dinner. All 6 of them and Lady Artemis.

"What are you doing here, boy?" One called out at me "I'm here to speak with Lady Artemis, if that is okay?" I returned as passively as possible. "Nobody asked for you to be here." She responded coldly.

I looked over at Artemis who sighed in response. She got up and approached me. "Make it quick, Perseus."

I explained the mission Hestia gave to us and that Nico and I were going to split off when we arrived at the town and find the two half-bloods. During my explanation, Thalia had gotten up and joined in on our conversation.

"I want to come with you." She said looking over at Artemis for approval. "Yes you may Thalia. Did Hestia say anything about them other than they are children of my brother, Apollo?" I shook my head.

"Very well, thank you Perseus." She said before turning and walking back to her hunters. Thalia gave me a wink before following Artemis.

I turned around and walked back towards the campsite.

-Line Break-

The next morning Nico and I split off from the main group. We left instructions to do nothing but keep guard. And to try not even talk to the hunters.

We joined up with Thalia and made our way into the small city and began looking for our target. As we walked I threw my arms round both their shoulders. "The gang's back together." I said with a smile.

"Shut up Kelp Head." Thalia said, pretending to be angry however being unable to contain the smile spread across her face. She then socked me on the shoulder for emphasis. I rubbed my new injury with a pout, earning a round of laughter.

As we walked, we reminisced about old times together. Telling stories of a simpler time, back before our worlds erupted into chaos. We were talking so enthusiastically, we almost missed our turning onto Mercer St as we walked past.

As we turned onto the street, we snapped back to reality and the task at hand. As we kept walking I kept my eyes out for possible monster threats, gods know there have been enough when I'm on missions like this.

As we arrived at house 314 we all took a breath. It looked like an almost normal house, save for the one smashed window at the front. Nico was playing with the ring on his finger whilst Thalia had her fists clenched. They both gave me a nod and we approached the house. We crept up to the door and crouched near the lock.

"So what? Do we just knock?" Thalia asked gesturing towards the door. Nico shook his head. "If it were that easy Hestia wouldn't have sent us." He supplied, backing up towards a shadow on the porch.

I gave him a nod and the shadows consumed him. "Where'd he go?" Thalia asked pointing towards where Nico just was. A second later the door opened to reveal him crouched in a dark hallway.

"He's there." I said before sneaking inside. Thalia just rolled her eyes and followed us in, closing the door behind her. I stuck my head round the frame of a doorway, to find a woman and a man sat on a sofa in the middle of…

"Yuck.." Thalia said gagging, expressing all of our thoughts. "Let's just get the kids and go." I whispered, not wanting to watch the two go at it. We all crept up the stairs and came to three doors.

"One door each?" I asked in between the loud moans of the woman. They nodded with cringes on their faces and turned to the two doors on the left.

I crawled over to the door on the right and turned the handle. The door wouldn't open. I felt the crease of the door till I found where the lock was and pulled out my hunting knife. I positioned it at a 45-degree angle and pushed really hard. The knife went straight through the wood, and a second later the door clicked open, the piece of wood holding the latch in place falling to the ground.

I stepped inside to an empty bedroom. I was about to turn and leave when a whimper in the corner caught my attention. I crept over to the bookcase and put my ear to it. A steady breathing noise was coming from behind it.

I put a little pressure on the side of the shelf and it began to slide. What was once just a wall and bookcase, revealed a tiny side room with two young kids shackled at the ankles. A boy and a girl sat next to each other. Both had blonde hair and blue eyes. Each had cuts and bruises all over their bodies. The girl had little to no clothing on and the boy was shielding her from me. They were both squinting hard as there was no light in the room before.

I grimaced at their state and slowly inched closer to them. "Hey… My name is Percy. I'm here to rescue you." At this both their eyes widened. The girl was trembling and in tears.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked down at the chains around their ankles. The skin around their ankles were blistered and scarred, showing that the chains had been on a long time and were rubbing against the skin.

"The fuck?" A voice roared from behind me. A man stepped from the hallway into the room with just a pair of Y-fronts and socks on. I turned around to face him and put the twins behind me. I pulled out my knife and flipped it still facing the bewildered man.

He looked shocked that I was here, but his body language didn't seem very aggressive. He took a step forward before a loud _thunk_ was heard and he collapsed to the floor unconscious. Nico stood there his sword in hand and a scowl plastered on his face.

A gave him a nod of appreciation before turning back to the kids and sheathing my knife. I put my hands on both their shoulders. They winced a little as I did, but both remained steadfast. I used my power over the hearth to incite hope into both of them.

Nico crept over to me, looking at the chains on the two. "Key?" he asked looking at me. I shook my head not having any idea where the key was. Nico just shrugged and bent down next to the kids placing his hand on the chain

The shackles popped off with a satisfying _chink_. The two kids, who had yet to speak were still eying me warily. "I'm here to help, what are your names?" I asked again trying to get something out of them. The boy narrowed his eyes at me.

"Would you two like a new family?" I asked. The boy dropped his head, whilst they girl broke into a grin.

"Come on Luke." She said standing and stepping out of the room. She held her hand out to him and pulled him up.

"Sit down on the bed, and I'll heal your wounds." I said gently pushing them towards the bed. They sat down on the bed next to each other, still holding hands. I heard the door quietly open and close again, Thalia entering, eyes wide.

I placed my hands above their ankles and began healing them. "What are both your names?" I asked, whilst focusing on healing their battered bodies.

The girl turned to the boy who gave her a nod. "This is my brother Luke, My name is Zoë." She said, whilst intently watching the orange mist pouring over her cuts and bruises.

Both those names were enough to get me to stop and turn to Thalia and Nico who had wide eyes. "You've got to be kidding me." Thalia said, face palming. Zoë gave me a questioning look but I just shook my head.

"Why are you here? Who sent you?" Zoë asked curiously. "Your Auntie did." I responded inferring Hestia, who was technically their auntie. "But Margret had us chained up in here. Why would she send you to free us?" she questioned.

By this point their bodies had completely healed. I pulled off my hoodie and handed it to Zoë to cover herself up before standing up, only to stumble and fall backwards into Nico's waiting arms. This had happened enough times for him to know when and where to catch me.

"How did you heal us? Are you a wizard?" she asked checking her ankle out and happily jumping to her feet. "You would have thought they were children of Athena." Thalia whispered in my ear. It's true she was rocketing out questions faster than I could think.

"Woah, woah, woah. One question at a time." I said earning a set of furrowed eyebrows. "Fine. Who are you?" she asked helping her brother up. I turned to look at Thalia and Nico. I sighed, and looked back at the expectant twins.

"My name is Percy, this is Nico and Thalia." I said gesturing to each of us. "You said our aunt sent you, right?" she asked looking over at the still unconscious man on the floor. "Yes, your Aunt Hestia sent us. She is a very kind and loving person who only just found out what was happening and sent us to rescue you."

"I didn't know we had any other aunts." She said turning to Luke, who only shrugged. "Why won't your brother speak?" Thalia asked speaking up from behind me. His head sagged whilst tears began creeping up in Zoë's eyes. He gave a nod of defeat to his sister who squeezed his hand even tighter. "When our aunt Margret used to come and hit us, Luke always used to stand up to her, taking most of it. He'd always backchat her and she hated it. One day she'd had enough and came with a red-hot knife… she cut out his tongue." I turned to Thalia and Nico who had their hands clenched. I gave a quick nod to Nico who turned and briskly walked out of the door and down the stairs.

A muffled scream could be heard that was quickly silenced. A few minutes later Nico came back upstairs, an almost satisfied look on his face. The twins however had an almost look of horror on their faces. Zoë gulped before turning towards me.

"Don't worry, we would never harm anyone that didn't deserve it." I said placing my hand on her shoulder. She smiled and nodded.

"Let's get out of here, and take you to your family."

-Line Break-

On the way back to the larger group we talked with Zoë and Luke and explained about the gods and who we were. We slowly dropped bombshell after bombshell to give them time to process the information. After around half an hour we arrived at the edge of the small city and began walking into the woods. After another 15 minutes we arrived at the campsite to an awaiting audience. Zoë and Luke had yet to release each other, and I could tell that their bond was extremely strong.

As we walked into the campsite 29 pairs of eyes turned towards us. Zoe and Luke pulled each other closer as we walked through the camp and into the hunters camp where another 5 pairs of eyes turned towards us.

"Phoebe, where is Lady Artemis?" Thalia asked the daughter of Ares. She just pointed towards the tent, not taking her eyes off us. Thalia led the way and walked over to the silver tent with a crescent moon over the flap.

As we stepped closer the tent flap opened and Artemis stepped out eyeing the two new half-bloods. "Milady" Thalia said bowing. Nico and I followed suit, whilst Zoë and Luke just had bewildered expressions.

I placed my hands on the backs of their necks and slowly tilted them forward. "Zoe, Luke, this is Lady Artemis." I whispered in their ears. Zoë turned to me with wide eyes. "As in **the** Artemis?" she whispered back. I nodded. She turned back to Artemis who had her eyebrows raised. "What is your name young maiden?" Artemis asked bending forward a little.

"My name is Zoë." She said quietly, taking a step backwards. Artemis visibly softened at this as a smile played across her lips. "And you boy? She said turning towards Luke, the smile disappearing. Zoe's eyes widened and she was about to speak up, but Artemis beat her to it.

"Well, What is it? Cat got your tongue?" she asked furrowing her eyebrows in frustration. "Lady Artemis." Zoë called out but was silenced when Artemis raised her hand. "I'm sure this boy can speak for himself." She said earning a glare from Luke.

"Lady Artemis, Luke cannot speak." Thalia said in frustration, obviously getting annoyed at the situation. I was going to speak up myself, however Thalia is the only who'd be able to do it without being killed by the goddess.

"And why can he not speak?" she asked in an angry tone turning towards Thalia. Thalia let out a sigh and bowed her head slightly. "Because he has had his tongue removed." She said quietly, as to not spread the news.

Artemis grew a look of horror across her face. Luke looked like he was about to burst into tears, whilst the rest of us were standing around awkwardly.

"Erm… Er…" Artemis started, completely flustered and obviously embarrassed at the situation. After a few seconds the situation thankfully diffused itself as the levels of awkwardness were reaching a new high.

"My apologies, Luke…" Artemis said sincerely. "Thalia, Zoë if you'd follow me into my tent. Perseus, would you take Luke over to your camp. I knew Artemis wanted to talk alone with Zoë and offer her a spot in the hunt, the same way she did with Bianca all those years ago.

"No!" Zoë shouted, before anyone could even respond to the goddess. "Luke goes where I go. And I go where he goes!" she said crossing her arms and stepping closer to her brother.

Artemis let out a sigh before relenting. "Very well… Zoë, I'd like to offer you a place within my hunt." Artemis responded with a smile on her face. Zoë's eyes widened and she turned to look at Thalia, with her silver uniform and tiara. She then turned to look at her brother.

"What about Luke? Can he join too?" she asked turning back to Artemis. "Certainly not. He can go to Camp Half-blood." Artemis returned with a ferocity, despising the idea of a boy anywhere near the hunt.

"But what about Percy, and Nico? And those other boys we passed?" she asked turning towards me. Artemis narrowed her eyes at the back of the little girl's head. "How about…" I announced, stepping in between the irritable goddess and Zoë. "Zoë travels with us to Camp, and if she likes the hunt she can stay, if not she can go with her brother."

Thalia stepped forward beside me "I agree with kelp head, she can almost give the hunt a try-out, whilst remaining close to her brother." She said giving me a smile. Artemis looked a little less than pleased but nodded.

"Zoë will stay with us and her brother, Luke, can join you and your comrades, Perseus."

 **A/N: Oh my gosh I'm back. :D**

 **Sorry about how long this took, as some people already know from my PM's;**

 **I was in a Mountain Bike accident recently (well like 2 months ago now) and I broke most of my hand, wrist and fractured my collarbone.**

 **This left me, well, inept (lol). In any case I've almost completely healed and all of my casts came off a few days ago. I must apologise again about the delay but it was basically impossible to write in my crippled state.**

 **In other news, POLL IS NOW CLOSED. Thank you for all the votes 'n' shit, though I won't tell you where the story is going. And I'll be back to like weekly chapter updates asap.**

 **Remember to leave reviews, thoughts and ideas or PM me.**

 **Thanks y'all!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

(Thalia's POV)

We spent the rest of the day getting acquainted to our new sister and continuing on our journey towards Camp half-blood. Zoë for the most part had been quiet other than introducing herself. She looked rather disappointed to see her brother walking off with Percy and Nico and had since taken on a more sombre attitude to her usual hyper mood.

We packed up camp and set off south towards New York. We were about half way in our journey. After an hour or two of walking Zoë started to slow in her pace and wince with every step. I could tell she wasn't used to walking great distances like these. When we told them both that we were walking to New York, Luke almost fainted.

"I've never been to New York before. What's it like?" Zoe whispered in my ear. I'd been giving her a piggy back ride for a while now and my back was starting to ache. However, seeing as she wasn't a hunter or a trained demi-god like Percy's group they didn't have the same endurance as us.

I took a quick glance backwards to see Percy carrying Luke and talking with him and Nico animatedly. I could pick out points and knew Percy was telling Luke his story, to some extent. They were more likely talking about the monsters they had killed, which Percy would be miles ahead the next person. Boys…

"Thalia?" Zoë whispered with concern. "Wha? Sorry Zoë. What's up?" I whispered back earning a curious look. "I was wondering what New York was like? You've been there right?" I instantly had memories pop up of the Second Titan War. "Stupid Hera…" I whispered to nobody in particular.

"New York is great, busy, is how I would describe it." I supplied. "Camp isn't in New York though, we're just heading past it to Long Island. Camp is there." I finished earning a nod.

"Alright Girls, we're going to set up camp here!" Artemis called out from the front of the line. Although no one had said it, Artemis looked like she had seen better days. She was sweating from the walk, which looked to be almost strenuous to her. Her complexion had turned a sour grey colour and her eyes no longer shone.

We were all upset over the hunters we lost, Artemis as much as any. They were our sisters and close to 20 died in that attack.

Percy and his group stopped a short distance away and started to set up their own camp. I could see him complaining about his back to Nico, Luke and what looked to be a son of Apollo, blue eyes and blonde hair, inciting giggles out of them at his randomness.

"Thalia, what're you doing?" Zoë asked tugging on my sleeve. I was just standing there whilst everyone else was setting up camp. I looked down and narrowed my eyes at her. She let out a small yelp at the glare. I turned and began to show her how to set up her tent.

The light had long since died in the distance once we had camp set up and dinner prepared. I could hear the laughter and joy coming from the other camp along with the light of a roaring bonfire, whilst our small group was still stuck in a heavy depression.

The rest of the hunt was tucking in to a wild boar that was caught courtesy of the Diana. We only had what was caught to eat, which usually was much more, but since our numbers were so low we were restricted to a single animal. Therefore, the portions that were handed out to each of us were relatively small.

Zoë was barely picking at her food as the other hunters ate. She kept looking over to the boy's camp. She'd yet to open up to the rest of the hunt, and seemed to have locked herself further away. She told me she hated what the hunt did to men. When I told them they were vile and deserved it, she simply replied "How do you know?".

I, myself am different to the rest of the hunters in the fact that I can tolerate the presence of men. And I had been thinking about what she'd said for some time. Of course, she was completely right. The hunters were horrible to every male they came across, regardless of their background or story. Heck they even hated Percy and he was one of the kindest and most loyal boys out there.

"Zoë, how about after dinner we go and visit your brother?" I asked her. She instantly perked up and nodded vigorously. I gave her a smile as she began to wolf down her food in an effort to get dinner over faster.

I stood, having already finished and walked over to Artemis at the head of the table. "Milady." I stated with a slight bow. She nodded "Yes Thalia?"

"I was wondering if I could take Zoë over to Percy's camp to see her brother." Artemis had a look of contemplation on her face, like she was weighing pros and cons. After a minute or so she agreed. "Yes she may, as long as she is not alone. I don't like the idea of her being alone with so many boys."

I scowled at what she was implying, but not in agreement. Percy and his group would never even think of doing that to her. I turned around and walked back over to Zoë, who was already jumping up and down with eagerness. Together we walked over to the campsite.

We walked through the maze of tents, the sounds of singing and laughter getting louder as we approached the bonfire. As we exited the tents we came to scene I hadn't seen in some time. All of the boys from the camp were gathered around the campfire, singing their hearts out. 4 campers stood with instruments, a lyre, a flute some drums and a violin. They were playing a song I didn't recognise.

Percy saw us and got up from where he was squeezed in on the end of a log. He ran over to us, a massive smile plastered across his face. "Thalia, Zoë! What're you guys doing here?" he said in a light tone.

"Zoë wanted to see Luke." I said looking behind Percy at the group of boys who let out a loud cheer at the end of the song. He gave a nod, the smile never leaving his lips. "Come, come join us." He said turning and walking back over to the log. I was a little apprehensive as most of the group were starting to take note of us. Zoë however couldn't care less. She took off to where Percy had just sat down.

A moment later Zoë crashed into Luke with a monstrous hug, earning another round of cheers from the group. I shook my head and walked over to where Percy had scooted up leaving room for me to sit.

As I sat down the next song started. As the singing started, I saw not a single person without a smile on their face.

"Are you hungry?" Percy whispered to me. I gave him a confused look but nodded. "What do you want?" he asked with raised eyebrows. "I don't know, what kind of question is that?" I replied earning a grin. "How about pizza?" he replied seriously. Without another beat a pizza burnt into existence on my lap. I let out a loud yelp and almost dropped it. I looked up, my jaw hung open as Percy and Nico who was next to him were cracking up.

"How did you do that?" I asked still in shock there was a steaming hot pizza on my lap. Percy gave me a lopsided grin but didn't answer, instead he picked up a slice and began munching away. I narrowed my eyes at him and picked up my own slice.

Oh my gods it was one of the best pizza's I had ever eaten. Everything from the dough to the topping were perfectly complimenting each other as well as in good amounts of variation. I didn't even realise I had let out a small moan at the taste until Percy and Nico stated laughing again.

After the last few slices of pizza went out I joined in with the singing completely oblivious to the fact that I was one of only two girls and a hunter, surrounded by boys. Everyone was completely respectful to me, giving me my space, yet not enough to not tease me.

After a while the singing descended into a chaos of jokes and stories. I noticed every now and again a new packet of marshmallows would appear and be shared out to everyone. Though I had no idea where this food was coming from, I didn't want to question it.

After a while people started to get up and leave, heading back towards their tents. I turned to look at Percy questioningly, who was staring into the fire with a smile, like he was having a conversation with it.

"Percy, where is everyone going?" I asked nudging him on the shoulder. He turned with a smile the little flecks of red dancing in his eyes. "They're heading to bed it's around 10:30 in the evening" he replied. My eyes widened as I looked around at my surroundings. The forests were dark and the moon and stars were shining down brightly.

"Wow, we've been here for 3 hours?" I replied earning a nod. "I think we need to return to lady Artemis." I said standing and walking over to Zoë, who was currently softly sleeping in her brothers lap. He turned to look at me and gave me a soft smile, brushing her blonde hair out of her face.

"Hey Luke, we need to head back to the hunt." I said softly. He gave me a smile and nod, carefully shaking Zoë's shoulder. She began to stir, waking up with a smile and sitting up sleepily. Zoë finally noticed me and looked at me curiously.

"Time to go back to the hunt." I said with a smile. She nodded and gave her brother one last hug before standing and grabbing my hand. I turned to see Percy with a smile on his face next to Nico. "Thanks for this Percy." I said gesturing down to Zoë.

"Anytime Thals. You're always welcome here." He replied before turning and walking off with Nico. I let out a small sigh and began walking back towards the hunt with Zoë. Tonight had been the first in years were I'd actually been able to let loose with no worries. That said for both of us, as I could tell Zoë had probably never let loose like that.

I helped Zoë into her bed before closing the flap on her tent and retreating to my own. I walked in, stripped off into my nightwear which was nothing but underwear and a black tank top, and climbed into my bed. I was shattered from the day's events and so it was no surprise that I was out like a light.

-Line Break-

"We aren't far off New York, so we're going to try and make it all the way there today, and then to camp tomorrow." Artemis explained as we all crowded round the picnic table for breakfast.

We were eating a rabbit stew that had been caught this morning. It was mostly just potatoes and cabbage with the occasional piece of meat. I couldn't stop thinking about the pizza I had last night. If only I could make food appear. Sure, it would go against the hunts tradition, but it would be useful in these kinds of situations where what we get to hunt is all we get to eat. Nobody is really into it at the moment. It's like all the joy and happiness has been sucked out of the hunt.

As I was scraping up the last bit of stew, Percy and his group arrived at the edge of our campsite. Percy stepped forward and walked towards Artemis. To my left I heard Phoebe whisper something about the group only loud enough for a few to hear.

I turned towards her and scowled. She gave me a look of innocence, to which I scowled even further.

"Lady Artemis, we are ready." Percy said simply giving a bow before turning and walking back towards his group.

"Perseus…" Artemis called out. He stopped and turned around, a quizzical look on his face. "We're going to head to New York today, however not inside. We will make camp just outside, and tomorrow head through and across to long island and camp." She explained. Percy nodded in response before heading back to his group, probably to relay the information.

As Percy walked off we began to pack up camp. The table magically disappeared, and we all went off to our own separate tents to close them. These all folded up into small rectangles to around the size of a packet of gum. All we needed to do is will our tent to be closed and it will fold itself up.

We picked up the remainder of our gear and set off into the woods after Artemis who always leads the group.

As we were trekking towards New York a thought crossed my mind. I turned to see Percy walking a stride ahead of his group seemingly deep in thought. He looked up at me when I turned for a second, but almost instantly looked back down at the floor.

I dropped back away from the hunters, earning a few glares, not that I cared and began jogging with Percy.

"Percy I was just thinking…" I started as we ran side by side. "We're heading towards New York." I continued only to be interrupted. "I should go see my mom, and Paul." He said literally finishing my train of thought.

"Uhh… Yeah… Yeah." I said looking down at the floor. I could tell he was battling some type of internal conflict. I wanted to ask why he hadn't gone to see his mom or even IMed her. Though I was right in not asking because it seemed like a touchy subject.

"You kept in contact with her right?" He asked breaking the silence. I nodded "Yeah, I did." He took on a look of contemplation as his mood seemed to have dropped. We ran for a couple more minutes in silence before he spoke again.

"Does she know what happened to Annabeth?" he said sadly. I had found out what actually happened to Annabeth through Nico, and when he told me I almost blew the hunts camp apart in anger. I spent a long time grieving for her as I searched for Percy, who at the time had dropped off the planet.

I couldn't imagine what he was going through, and he was there when it happened.

"All she knows is that Annabeth died." I stated glumly not wanting to think about one of my best friends. Nobody really knows what happens when something fades, most people believe they just stop existing completely. But it's always been a question among immortals as to how an immortal soul can stop existing. The entire point of immortality is to exist forever. And then there are those that believe in the 'realm of the faded'. To most it simply means what happens when a soul stops existing. Though others like Artemis, believe it is a real place, far away, where faded souls go to spend eternity. Artemis believes that when she inherited the moon from Selene, she passed into the realm of the faded and is now spending eternity there.

Almost all the Primordials are said to have faded and either gone there or stopped existing. It's a lot to wrap your head around. I guess the easiest way to simplify it, it is like the underworld for immortal souls, where they go afterwards.

It took quite a long time for me to understand this concept when I asked Artemis about it after I found out what happened to Annabeth. I prefer to follow in the footsteps of my mistress and believe that Annabeth's soul is 'alive' still and in the realm of the faded. She deserves as much.

I turned to look at Percy who was as deep in thought as I was.

After a long while the horizon of New York could be seen in the distance. We stopped just shy of the edge of the City at around late afternoon and started to set up camp. Once all the tents were set up I approached Lady Artemis who was watching the hunters begin to train.

"My Lady, with your permission I would like to head into the city with Percy and see his mother, Sally." Artemis looked at me curiously but did not question it, instead nodding to give her consent. "Thank you, milady."

I quickly bowed and ran over to where the boys had set up camp to find Percy. I walked past a blonde-haired son of Apollo who was walking with Luke, Ethan I think his name is. "Excuse me do you know where Percy is?" I asked politely.

"Yeah, he is over near the other side of camp, he is organising everyone into training groups." He replied and then continued walking without another beat, not even waiting for a 'thanks'

I walked quickly through the tents and into a small open area that had a few archery targets and dummies. The majority of the group were here and all listening to Percy.

"That's all guys, just focus unit cohesion and trying not to trip on each other." He announced earning a few laughs from an obvious past joke. I walked over to him as the group started to disband and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Ready to go?" I asked, to which he nodded. A moment later Nico appeared out of a shadow to my right making me jump a little. Nico smirked at me but said nothing as we left the area and walked towards the Manhattan sky line.

-Line Break-

As we walked through the streets of New York we earned more than a few glances. One girl dressed head to toe in silver and two boys wear black camo combat gear. It was early evening when we arrived outside Percy's mom's apartment so they would all likely be home.

To say I was excited would be an understatement. Percy who knew nothing about his little sister was about to find out. I have no idea why it means so much to me, but I know it will cheer him up. A new sister will bring a breath of fresh air back to him.

And to see the look on Sally's face when I come back with not only Percy but Nico as well, who had basically become their adoptive child along with me. It'll be like one big happy family reunion.

We approached the steps and walked up to the door. Percy was as pale as a ghost. "What's wrong Perce?" Nico spoke up voicing my concerns. "I haven't seen her in years, or Paul. I'm just worried they'd resent me for just getting up and leaving without a reason." He said little above a whisper.

"Percy if there is something I know; your mom is one of the most caring and understanding people I've ever met." I supplied to him earning a smile and a nod.

We pulled open the door and walked in. The apartment itself was a sleek modern building with nice aesthetics. It had sleek white walls with a deep brown wooden trim. A man sat behind a desk at the front typing on his computer.

As the door closed behind us he looked up with a smile. "How may I help you?" he asked in a smooth British accent. "We're here to see Sally and Paul Blofis." I answered. The man nodded and looked at each of us.

Nico was standing next to me, his hands in his pockets whilst Percy was looking at the floor. The man pulled a key card out and handed it to us then went back to sitting at his desk, scribbling something down.

We walked over to the door that lead to the rest of the building and slid the key card in the slot. The door opened with a buzz. We walked in and took the stairs up to the 3rd floor. As we were walking Percy's hands became ever more active, drumming, clicking, you name it. He was clearly nervous.

We stopped outside the apartment. I looked over to Percy who knocked on the door before taking a few steps back.

After a moment of silence the door opened to reveal a middle-aged man with salt-peppered hair wearing blue jeans and a grey shirt.

"Thalia?" Paul asked instantly taking a note of me. His eyes then drifted to Nico where they widened before resting on Percy where his Jaw dropped open. Without a moment's notice, he surged forward and pulled Percy into a hug, which Percy returned with enthusiasm.

"Percy? You're back!" he cried out in almost relief. I had no idea Paul and Percy were this close. After a minute or two they both broke apart, all traces of nervousness from Percy were gone and instead replaced with a massive smile.

"Is mom home?" he asked a little warily. "Oh… oh, oh right. Your mother is out at the minute, she'll be back in an hour or so." He answered his eyes still wide with shock. "Please, come in, come in." he said ushering us all in without a moment's notice. As we entered he gave a hug to me and a handshake to Nico to which Nico gladly accepted as hugging 'wasn't his thing'.

As we all walked into the living room Paul walked off into the kitchen, asking if we wanted anything to drink or eat. Percy and I had tea whilst Nico settled for summoning a glass of ambrosia for himself.

Paul came back into the room with a tray of tea and biscuits, which he sat down onto the coffee table in the middle. Paul sat on the recliner, whilst the three of us all crammed onto a single sofa. I looked over into the corner and my eyes widened, I prayed to every god and goddess that Percy didn't notice the toys and colouring books open on the floor.

Thankfully Paul brought everyone's attention "I picked up all these 'hosting tips' off your mother." He said proudly, dunking a biscuit in his tea. Percy smiled at that, taking a sip of his own tea.

"So how have things been Paul?" Percy asked earning a raised eyebrow. He turned his head slightly and shot me a glance, to which I gave him my own stare pleading him not to bring up the subject of Andromeda.

Thankfully he cottoned on. "Things are good Percy, I am still working at Goode, and your mother is on her way to finishing her second book." He answered honestly. Percy nodded and relaxed a little, letting his shoulders slump.

"The real question, is how and where have you been Percy?" he asked sitting forward. "Uhhh… My story is a little harder to explain." Percy answered scratching the back of his neck.

"I can only imagine." Paul answered with a smile. I turned to my left and looked at a picture of Percy that was hanging on the wall. He was at the beach with Sally. A massive grin on his face as he licked an ice-cream. Next to that was a picture of Sally, Paul and Andromeda all smiling at the camera.

I quickly turned my head away and back to the conversation. "What's wrong Thals?" Percy asked turning to look at me with concern. I let out a fake smile "Nothing." He narrowed his eyebrows at me but was instantly dragged away by the sound of the door opening.

"Paul, we're back!" Sally called out through the apartment. "Hi honey!" Paul called back before winking at Percy. "Charles said we have some guests." She shouted back earning a smile on his face. I could hear her talking to someone who I knew was Andromeda, though Percy had a look of confusion on his face.

A minute or so later Sally walked round the corner absolutely drenched through. "I tell you the weather is absolutely-" she said looking up at the people sat in the room "…horrible…" she said her blue eyes meeting Percy's sea green ones.

She stood there for a moment staring at him with eyes the size of dinner plates. "Percy…" she whispered out, still staring at him. He slowly rose from his seat. "Mom.." he said back just as quietly

A few seconds passed before the both sprang at each other, pulling into a tight embrace. I could clearly see tears rolling off Sally's cheeks. They stood there for a good while just hugging until they were pulled out of it.

"Thalia!" A little girl screamed before sprinting across the room and straight into my lap. She hugged my waist looking up at me with big puppy dog eyes. I smiled at her and turned to look at Percy who was standing there in shock.

He then finally started to take notice of the things lying around the room, such as the colouring books and the photos on the walls. He turned to his mom who only gave him a smile.

"Who's that?" she whispered to me as I stood, her now hanging off my neck like a little monkey. "That's your brother, Percy." I whispered back to her. She turned to me with wide unbelieving eyes. I gave her a nod to which she also received from Sally.

In an instant, she'd dropped off me and was halfway across the room to Percy who snatched her up in a hug. Once he set her down they both had massive smiles across their faces.

Sally came over and hugged me and then Nico, she didn't care about his personal space, seeing as she was his mother now. We all then sat down, Nico and I on one sofa, Paul still on the recliner, and Percy sandwiched between Sally and Andromeda.

"Thank you, Thalia, you said you'd find him and now he's finally home." Sally said to me with a smile plastered across her face.

"Actually Sally, Percy saved me, not the other way around." I returned to which she gave a confused look. "The hunt was attacked and Percy came to our rescue, saving my life." She turned to look at Percy who wasn't even in the conversation or acknowledging his heroics, but instead talking animatedly with Andromeda.

I turned to look at Nico, who gave me a look. Percy clearly needed his space with his family. And though we were practically family, this wasn't the time for us to be there. I nodded in agreement and we both stood up. They all turned to look at us questioningly, but I held up my hand. "We're going to head out and back to camp."

"You guys can't go yet?" Sally said speaking up, earning nods from everyone else. "I need to check on the guys and I'm sure Thalia needs to check on the hunt." Nico said offering his hand out to Paul to shake. He stood and shook before hugging me.

Sally stood and came and hugged the both of us, as well as Andromeda who hugged me. She waved 'bye' to Nico enthusiastically before jumping back on Percy, who gave us a nod and almost teary smile.

We opened the apartment door with one last wave, and walked out into the hallway. We silently walked down the hall, down the stairs and then finally out onto the street. The floor was wet and droplets of water were falling from nearly everything, showing it had just finished raining.

The sky was a mess of dark storm clouds, Poseidon must be in a mood as I could feel a large storm approaching.

Nico and I started walking through the streets of New York with very little conversation. He wasn't the most communicative person, but had gotten better since the end of the Second Giant War. We turned down an alley to take a shortcut to the next street over when a loud crash startled the both of us.

We crept forward through the darkness of the alley into a small open area where the dumpsters were kept between buildings.

I pulled my bow out of thin air, thanks to it being magical, and knocked an arrow. A moment later a cyclops, small, probably very young stepped out from the other side of the alley, his singular eye was darting around the place as if locking for something.

He was so focused on whatever he was looking for in the shadows that he hadn't even noticed us enter the area.

A piece of metal just behind the monster moved slightly drawing both Nico and my attention. The cyclops obviously wasn't very attuned to his sense if even we could hear the slight scrape from where we were sat.

With a war cry a young girl jumped out from behind the small metal crate with a hammer in hand. She flew towards the cyclops and took a swing at the back of his right knee. The hammer was just mortal metal and had no effect on the monster, so when it connected it just passed straight through, as if made of mist.

The girl crashed to the floor with an 'oomf'. The small girl turned to look at the cyclops with wide eyes, who now had an evil smirk on his face. He started reaching down to grab the girl. Nico shocked me back into reality and I drew back my bow and fired. Almost a second later another arrow had been drawn, knocked and fired.

Both arrows collide with the cyclops's eye. He roared in pain before dissolving into golden dust.

The girl was still on the floor, whimpering and crying. She turned towards us, a look of fear stretched across her face. Her blonde princess curls were cascading down to just above her shoulders. They were matted with dirt and clumped up in a mess.

When she opened her eyes properly I gasped in shock. A pair of startling grey eyes were observing us both, analysing. She looked exactly as Annabeth did when we found her all those years ago.

"Hey what's your name?" Nico asked, as I was still stood in my state of shock. "Lily." She replied shuffling a little further from him.

"Who are you?" she asked quickly flicking her eyes from Nico to me and then back to Nico. "Well my name is Nico Di'Angelo, and that's Thalia Grace." He said pointing towards me.

"You look like a smart girl, would you like to come with us, somewhere safe and away from the monsters." He said gesturing towards where the remains of the cyclops were. She nodded but still looked cautious.

"How can I trust you." She asked looking at him. He leaned closer to her and whispered something in her ear. Her eyes widened and she looked at him incredulously. In response, he raised his palm up and a ball of black fire appeared in it.

"Okay, I'll come with you." She responded, climbing to her feet and taking a few steps closer to me. "Where are we going?" she asked as Nico started to walk down the alleyway. "Just outside New York… You'll see." He answered.

We both started walking after Nico and quickly caught up with him. I was curious as to what he told her, but it seemed to have worked. As we walked Nico started to explain about the monsters that were attacking and then eventually about the gods.

She would often fill in his sentences or make guess that were for the most part, correct. She also took all the information relatively well. Usually when a demi-god enters the godly world, their brain either instantly turns to a bowl of mashed potato from the weirdness of it. Or after a few days, when they realise that this is all real and it isn't some kind of dream or prank, they start to freak out.

We walked quickly towards the edge of the city and out towards camp. After an hour or so we arrived in familiar territory, and after a few more minutes we arrived at the edge of the hunter's camp.

We approached the picnic area and walked straight towards Artemis who was sat by the fire, along with a little girl with deep chestnut hair and warm, fiery brown eyes. She noticed us and smiled at Artemis before disappearing in flames.

Artemis turned towards us, with a smile on her face. She noticed the little girl behind us and furrowed her eyebrows.

"Lady Artemis." Nico and I said with a bow.

"Thalia, Nico." She said nodding to us. "And who is this young maiden?" she asked crouching down so she was at head height with the girl.

"My name is Lily." She said keeping her head slightly bowed. "Hello Lily, my name is Artemis, Goddess of the Moon and Hunt." Artemis answered earning a gasp. "Come with me." she said gesturing towards her tent.

The girl nodded and followed Artemis into her tent. I sat down at the campfire and Nico sat down a second later. "She looked…" The conversation was instantly stopped by the sound of metal clanging against metal.

Nico instantly shot up, his eyes widening. I tried to stand up put he put a hand on my shoulder and kept me sitting. "Thalia stay here, protect your sisters!" he said seriously before disappearing into the darkness.

A few of the hunter's tents opened and they stepped out warily, some armed and others not. "Thalia, what's that noise? Why does it sound like a battle?" I grimaced at the term and could only nod towards Phoebe who asked the question.

After a few minutes of fighting an almighty earthquake shook the area knocking some of us to our knees. In an instant Artemis was out of her tent, bow in hand, eyes promising hell and fury.

When she saw us all okay, she softened a little but instantly hardened again when a few of Percy's group sprinted into the area, weapons drawn and ready. A few seconds later Percy ran in with a few cuts on him, but nothing major. After seeing all the hunt just standing there staring at them they all pulled off their helmets so we could see their faces.

"Sorry milady, we were attacked. Are all the hunt okay?" he asked scanning all the hunt's faces. A boy behind him was subtly trying to pull an arrow out of his helmet that had been lodged inside.

"Yes Perseus, we are all fine thank you." She answered making her bow disappear. The boys behind him, hearing there was no threat all turned and walked back off towards their camp.

Percy was about to turn and walk off when his eyes caught Lily standing at the back of the crowd, behind Artemis. His eyes widened and he took an instinctive step back and fell onto his butt. A few of the hunt stifled laughs.

Percy eyes never left the girl as his hands started to shake. Nico walked into the area, with his black armour on and walked over to us.

"Perseus, are you okay?" Artemis asked. The hunters had all stopped laughing and were now looking at Percy with worry. All the colour had drained from his face and he was now as pale as a sheet of paper. His whole body was now shaking and he was covered with sweat.

"Oh shit!" Nico yelled out before running over to Percy. "ETHAN!" he screamed grabbing a hold of Percy and trying to steady him.

In a flash, Ethan had run into the area and was looking around wildly. When he saw Percy, he cursed loudly and pulled a small strip of leather out of his satchel and ran over to Nico.

"What's that for?" someone called out looking at him. Ethan proceeded to shove the strip of leather into Percy's mouth in-between his teeth. As he did this Nico quickly sat behind Percy, his legs on either side of him and pulled him into a bear hug to keep him still.

"It's so he doesn't bite his tongue off." Ethan answered not even looking away from Percy. Ethan started to chant in ancient Greek whilst Nico was whispering into Percy's ear.

After a minute or so Percy went limp, his eyes still open but glazed over, like he was dead. Nico grabbed under his arms whilst Ethan grabbed his legs.

"Thalia help us." Nico shouted. I snapped out of my stupor and ran over grabbing his waist. I helped them carry Percy back towards their camp, where everyone parted for us some even clearing the way or helping carry him. After a minute, we arrived at his tent, where one boy opened it and lifted the flap up.

We quickly set him down on his bed all huffing from lack of breath.

"Will someone tell me what the fuck just happened." I said exasperatedly. Nico turned to look at me before nodding and walking out of the tent. I quickly ran after him and caught up as we reached the edge of camp.

"Slow down Death Breath, now explain." I yelled shoving him slightly. "it's only happened twice before and it is never good when it does." He explained. "Percy, under the right circumstances, can trigger flashbacks to when he was in Tartarus, or so he explained to me. For him he see's past events sometimes in the worst possible light, as well as his trip through Tartarus. For us, it's like his body locks up and keeps him in a dream like state until it can repair itself."

My eyes widened at what Nico had said. My poor cousin, who had had enough hardships to make up ten lives would sometimes have to relive them.

"I thought as much, though I wasn't entirely sure." Artemis said, appearing from behind a tent. Nico nodded. "My Lady, have you ever been to tartarus?" Nico asked the goddess. She bowed her head in shame and shook.

"Well you know what it is like from what you have been told, yes?" he asked. She nodded.

"Thalia the thing when you become fully immortal, your brain goes from 100% to more like 1000%. You can remember everything from your life in almost perfect detail. But also, you brain is stronger, less able to be corrupted and you can understand things easier." I nodded in understanding.

"Percy was completely mortal when he went through Tartarus, and as such it left scarring on him. If you will a sort of post-traumatic stress disorder. Like soldiers sometime have after leaving warzones. No matter what we do, this will never leave him, because he was mortal when it happened. His brain just can't cope with whatever he saw down there and every now and again it locks up like this." He explained.

I felt tears welling up behind my eyelids, but forced them down. I looked down at the ground sadly and was surprised when Nico pulled me into a hug. "I know it sounds bad, but he should be better come morning." He said before breaking away and walking over to the camp. I felt a small nudge on my back.

-Line Break- (Percy POV)

We were being pushed hard by the monsters and they were slowly chipping away at our lines. When I arrived, a small skirmish had already started. I leapt off Blackjack, who had given me a ride from my mom's. We formed a shield wall, but more and more monsters kept pouring out of the darkness. I slammed my foot against the floor and sent the earthquake through the monster's lines, and with that we charged at them. The monsters all started to split apart and break. I sent Nico, with the majority after the stragglers who were fleeing, while a few of us ran to the hunter's camp to make sure none got through.

To say I was relieved when I arrived would be an understatement. The hunters were all standing around confused at what was happening.

Once everything had settled I was ready to turn and head back to help the wounded. However, as my eyes traced over the faces in the crowd, they were caught on a small girl with blonde hair and startling grey eyes.

A moment later Annabeth was standing were the girl once was, staring right back at me. I fell back in shock. I tried to move, but was completely transfixed by her.

I blinked and I was sat back in tartarus. At the edge of a gaping black abyss, staring down as Annabeth fell screaming my name. I wanted to scream out to her, jump after her, but I was frozen, watching as she disappeared from sight.

I blinked again and I was sat on the beach at Camp Half-blood. Annabeth was right next to me, staring up at me with her mesmerising grey eyes. She looked so real, so alive. I wanted to reach out and touch her face, but couldn't

"Wake up." she said softly.

I sat up in my bed completely covered in sweat. My head was pounding and my mind racing at a million miles a second. How long had I been out? It felt like seconds but could well have been hours. I ran a hand through my hair and wiped the sweat off my forehead. I sat for a few more minutes, panting, trying to get my breath back.

My tent was dark, save for the small strip of light coming in from under the flap. I pushed my thoughts down to the recesses of my mind before sliding my legs out from my covers and standing up. My clothes were drenched with sweat.

I quickly got changed into a fresh uniform before beginning to strap on my armour. I left my helmet on its stand before strapping my shield and spear to my back and walking out.

The camp was quiet as I walked through it, and I couldn't find anyone in their tents. A slight murmuring and power was rolling from the dining area so I made my way towards it.

When I stepped into the clearing I saw everyone was gathered round the table quietly. The hunters were all stood at the edge of the clearing whilst Nico spoke to Thalia and Artemis.

"Percy!" someone shouted out drawing everyone's eyes onto me. Great. I walked through the camp giving smiles and a few hugs to people as they all got up to greet me. When I got to the hunters Zoë ran over to me and gave me a hug, whilst some scowled others gave me a nod, to which I thought was confusing. Nico gave me a handshake whilst Thalia jumped onto me with her own ferocious hug. Artemis gave me a wink and then turned back to the conversation. I looked over at the small girl with blonde hair, who was obviously attempting to hide from me. I gave her a reassuring smile before turning back to the group.

"Well now that Perseus is awake we can continue our journey. Thalia, it is your turn to get us breakfast. We will make it to Camp Half-blood today." Artemis said matter-of-factly before turning and striding back to where her hunters were still standing.

I turned to where everyone was sat at the tables and concentrated, I clapped my hands once and a large breakfast buffet burnt into existence infront of all the guys, inciting a few cheers. I staggered a bit and turned to Thalia with a smile. Her mouth was hung open in shock.

"That is so unfair." She quietly said looking at me with pleading eyes. I gave her a wink and turned to the hunt and their table which I could see just behind them. I clapped my hands again and a similar, yet smaller amount of food appeared on the table.

I fell back into Nico's waiting arms, who just sighed and helped right me.

"Technically, you got them breakfast." I said to Thalia with a smile, who was almost jumping with excitement. She turned to the hunt who all had smiles on their faces other than Artemis. She gave a slight nod and the hunt dived into the table like a pack of rabid dogs. Thalia gave me a quick hug before diving in herself.

I sat in my seat and began slowly eating. Everyone else was laughing and joking, but I wasn't into it. I was still shaken up from my dream. Once everyone had finished, we scraped our sacrifices to the gods before getting ready to break camp.

I sat alone at the table, deep in thought, whilst everyone scurried around clearing and packing up. Finally, I stood and went over to my tent, closing it and picking it up, ready to begin the final leg of our journey.

As we walked I noticed a slight change in the hunt's demeanour, they were still cold towards us, that was obvious. But I no longer heard curses under their breaths. They were also now walking just a pace or two infront of us. Zoë was walking with Luke at the front. I had no idea what or why they were doing it, but I'm not going to question it if they're being kind towards us.

At around mid-afternoon we passed out of the woods and across a small country street to the bottom of a grassy hill. A lone pine tree stood at the top awaiting us.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

(Percy's POV)

I stood for a minute staring up at the lone pine tree up on the hill. It had been years since I had seen it, and nothing had really changed. I could still see the fleece hanging from the lowest branches spreading prosperity and growth to the surrounding valley.

Peleus was still coiled around the lower tree, although he had grown a significant amount. Before, when I had last seen him as I left camp, he was still small in terms of Drakons. However now he rivalled the largest drakons I'd seen, on par with Ladon and the Maeonian Drakon in Tartarus.

An image of Tartarus's swirling vortex for a face popped into my mind, sending a shiver down my spine. Like the feeling of a cold knife being slowly drawn down your spine.

I was still wearing my black camo and combat armour. My shield was strapped to my back and my spear in my right hand. I had my black helmet in my left hand balanced against my hip. I turned and looked at the group of guys behind me.

There was a general air of excitement around us, as nobody had been to camp before other than Nico and myself. We had told everyone about camp and what it was like, and to them it seemed almost like paradise, never having to be alert or aware, you could become lazy.

Blackjack, whom had been on the roof of my mom's apartment had joined us for the last leg of the journey was mingled into the group, he was difficult to see against the black of the clothes and armour but you could make him out due to the partition of bodies and heads.

I looked back up to the hill, even I had a longing to head back. It was my home and had been for years. All of my old friends were probably still there, the Stolls, Clarisse and Chris, Jake, Katie, many faces I had missed and longed to see. I was also slightly excited to go back.

The hunters however, who were stood a few meters off had completely different expressions. They hated this camp, the only one who could stand it here was Thalia.

I slid my helmet onto my head as the hunters began to walk up towards the crest of the hill. We all followed, an excited murmuring passing around us.

We followed the hunt all the way up to the top, where just as we were about to pass over one of the hunters pulled out a horn and blew it. The sound resonating down into the valley below.

I reached the top and a smile grew on my face. Camp was as I remembered. The big house backing the strawberry fields, where campers and nature spirits harvested the crop. The woods and lake which seemed a little larger than before. The climbing wall and pavilion which was also now definitely much bigger, now having tables for every cabin.

The biggest change however was by far the cabins. Instead of the U shape it was now complete having the other side completely packed with cabins. Cabins for the minor gods had been squeezed in everywhere.

I noticed a mix of orange and purple t-shirts on the campers as they walked around on their daily routine. And the thing that made my smile grow even further. The colours were mixed, none caring weather they were from Camp Jupiter or Camp Half-Blood. They looked past it and only saw their siblings.

Everything in the valley seemed to be slower, and without the threat of an impending war, everyone was relaxed, and enjoying life.

At the base of the hill a small group of campers were starting to gather, all staring up at our mixed group. I noticed that now most of the camp were watching us, staring up at us from whatever they were doing.

I could understand that, 30 unknown figures mixed in with the hunters appearing on the edge of camp and just casually walking in.

Thalia turned to me and smiled before walking down the hill in stride with Artemis. I turned to the group and gave a smile and nod as we all began to follow the small group of hunters down to the bottom of the hill.

At around halfway down the hill I noticed a familiar centaur break through the crowd of campers with a confused look on his face, his tail swishing. Next to him was a tall boy with blonde hair and electric blue coloured eyes, much like Thalia's.

As we neared the bottom Jason broke forward from the front of the group and embraced his full-blooded sister. After a long hug, Jason turned and bowed to Artemis.

"Lady Artemis." he said. All the demi-gods and Chiron also gave a quick bow to Artemis. Though they kept glancing at us warily.

Chiron cantered forward to Artemis. "My Lady, I was informed by the council of your arrival." He said rising up from his bow.

"It is good to see you too Chiron." She said scanning the eyes of all the campers, none of which would look at her.

"Hunters, head to Cabin 8, I must discuss some things with Chiron and the immortal campers." She ordered. All of the hunters save for Thalia took off in the direction of the cabins, shooting all the campers dirty looks as they did.

"Everyone head back to your activities." Chiron announced turning to the group of gathered campers. There was a murmuring among them about who we were, but they all slowly trailed off towards various parts of camp.

I recognised one or two of the campers in the group, as I had personally escorted them here, and only one of them recognised me in my armour. I could tell as her eyes widened when she saw us approach.

In a flash of light Frank and Hazel appeared hand in hand. Hazel looked calm, whilst Frank had his hand gripped tightly on his sword hilt. The had both aged to around 18 years old and immortality definitely suited them. Hazel's mesmerising golden eyes darted between us before resting on Chiron.

"Hello Chiron." she said with a slight tilt of her head.

"Lady Artemis has requested a meeting." He said gesturing towards Artemis and Thalia. The two Gods of Heroes bowed their heads before walking towards the big house. Chiron started to follow with Jason and Thalia not far behind. Artemis was the last trailing behind them.

I turned and looked around and noticed we were all just standing at the base of the hill awkwardly, unsure of what to do. Chiron hadn't even acknowledged us, and I was unsure if we should just wait here or head into camp or set up our own camp.

Artemis stopped mid stride and turned around to look at us. I could have sworn I had heard her say something under her breath. She walked quickly over towards us. Nico and I stepped forward.

"Perseus, what are you doing?" she asked with a slight irritated tone. "To be honest, I have no idea." I responded earning a few giggles from behind me. Artemis gave out a sigh.

"You are going to be attending this meeting?" she questioned, not breaking eye contact from me.

"Uhhhhh…" is all I could respond, as I looked around at the camp. Nico put a hand on my shoulder, grabbing my attention.

"I'll have us set up camp towards the edge of the woods, and join you in the meeting afterword's." he said before walking off towards the woods, skirting round the edge of the camp.

" _See you later boss."_ Blackjack also said, trotting off towards a group of pegasi being led out of the stables.

Suddenly I was left alone with a silver eyed goddess who was stood glaring at me. She gave a huff of annoyance, before turning and walking towards the big house. I took one last glance at Nico who was disappearing round the side of camp, before running after the Goddess of the Moon.

As we walked into the threshold of the big house I marvelled how little had changed. There was a new floral wall paper in the hallway, but other than that, everything was the same. Seymour let out a growl as we walked passed the living room.

I stepped into the same old rec room. Chiron was stood at one corner of the table. Thalia and Jason on one side and Frank and Hazel the other. Artemis summoned a smaller version of her throne and plopped down next to Chiron.

I let out a small gulp as everyone was now watching me. "My lady, before we begin, may I ask who your… err… companion is?" Chiron asked a little nervously

Artemis furrowed her eyebrows for a second, before turning and looking up at me. The next thing she did shocked the life out of me. She face palmed.

"Perseus, take off your helmet for Hades sake." She said glaring at me. The ground below us rumbled in response. A small "Sorry uncle" could be heard from Artemis's direction who was still glaring at me.

Everyone else though had wide eyes and was eagerly staring at me. I tilted my head and quickly slipped my helmet off, before placing it down on the table.

"Percy?" Jason whispered out. Jason quickly ran around the table followed by Frank. Jason hastily embraced me, a massive grin stretched across his face. "Oh my gods, Percy you're back." He shouted out.

The second he let go, Frank grabbed me up in his own colossal hug. He had a relieved but almost sad look on his face. I stored that information for later, and allowed Hazel to hug me next. "Oh Percy" I heard her whisper out as we hugged. Even though she looked nothing like it, she reminded me a lot of Bianca, which was still one of my biggest regrets, other than Zoë. They had both given their lives, and I would probably never get over their deaths.

Finally, Chiron stepped up, his eyes still wide with shock. He pulled me up into a large hug. He let go of me and I smiled up at one of the most fatherly figures in my life. "Percy my boy, we must talk after this meeting, I'm sure everyone would like to hear your tale, I am sure your story is most interesting." He said before stepping back.

I quickly walked over to the seat next to Frank and plopped down. Artemis stood, ready to speak but was interrupted by a puff of pink smoke. Piper stepped out of the smoke with a bright smile on her face.

"Sorry I'm late." She quickly stepped forward and pecked Jason on the cheek before sitting down on her seat, directly opposite me.

She then turned and looked at me and her mouth dropped open. "Percy!?" she squealed out sliding her chair out and running around the table towards me. I pulled her into a hug. "Hey Pipes." I said smiling as I let her go. She returned to her seat.

"Percy where have you been?" she announced the second she sat down. Chiron let out a small cough "Piper, my child, we will hear Percy's tale after this meeting." He said gesturing towards Artemis who was scowling.

"Oh, my Lady. My apologies." She said bowing her head. Artemis nodded her head and waved her off.

"Chiron as I'm sure you have been informed, the hunters and I will be staying at camp for the foreseeable future. We…" Artemis started but was interrupted again by a flash of flames with Leo stepping out.

"Sorry I'm la…" he started only to stop and gulp at the intense glare Artemis was giving him. Maybe it's a daughter of Zeus thing to give ridiculously intimidating glares, because both Thalia and Artemis can do it. I inwardly chuckled at the thought.

Leo sat down at the end of the table, his face as white as a sheet of paper. He turned and scanned across the room, his eyes finally resting on me. "PERCY?" he called out eyes wide.

A small growl emanating from the other side of the room made me wonder if Leo was going to survive the next few minutes.

"Shutting up." Leo announced turning back to Artemis.

Artemis, after sending a death glare in the direction of the new God of Forges, began a brief overview of the events leading up to them being here in camp. She explained that her hunt was trapped and were going to be slaughtered, and without me rushing in to save the day, the hunt would have perished.

She then explained her father's command for her to be in the safety of camp until the hunt was back up to sufficient numbers. Though Artemis never once mentioned that her domains had suffered greatly and as a result so had she. She was too prideful to admit that she would be weaker because of the hunter's lower numbers.

They all nod in agreement and understanding, shooting Thalia sad looks.

Just then Nico walked into the rec room, his helmet off.

"NICO!?" Hazel called out in shock. He gave a smile and nodded to Artemis to continue.

"Well then Lady Artemis, we will fit you into your own schedule for your hunters to train, and we'll see if maybe some of the female campers would join you. I'm sure they would." Jason spoke up earning a small smile and nod from her.

"Thalia, I'm going to go and make sure the hunters are settled. Am I not wrong in thinking you want to remain and talk to your old friends." Artemis said standing up from her miniature throne, which subsequently disappeared.

"No, milady." Thalia responded. Artemis nodded before striding out of the rec room.

In an instant, everyone's heads turned towards me, other than Hazel's who jumped out of her chair and embraced her brother.

I gave a small sigh and began telling my tale, from the moment I stepped over the camp border to running into the Hunt.

As I was explaining how I would escort campers to camp, Piper piped up.

"Of course!" she exclaimed. "I always thought it was strange that demi-gods were just appearing at the edge of camp, no protectors, no monsters and most of all, no injuries, scratches, not even hungry."

Everyone else furrowed their eyebrows, as realisation crossed a few of their faces. "Yeah now that you say it, most of them told exactly the same story." Jason spoke up looking intently at me. I just shrugged and continued my story.

When I got to the part where I described how me and my fellow companions lived, and how we were Hestia's champions, Leo's face broke into a massive grin. I tilted my head and looked at him confusingly.

His eyes flicked between Thalia and me.

"Perce, it's almost like you're a male version of the Hunt, no?" he said with a massive grin stretched across his face. I gave a nod, as we were sort of like the male version of the Hunt.

"The Huntress' of Perseus." Leo said waving his hands infront of him dramatically. My mouth dropped open. I turned to look at Thalia who's eyes were as wide as 18-wheeler wheels. Everyone else, including Chiron were stifling laughs.

"You… You bloody...!" Thalia shouted launching a spark of lightning at him and blowing him off his chair.

Leo stood up, his smile as large as ever. However, with steam curling off him and a blackened scorch mark in the middle of his ripped shirt. At that point, everyone lost it.

After pulling ourselves back together, I finally finished my story at where we were hunting the Chimera and Echidna and we came across the Hunt.

"And the rest is history." I said closing off the story. The conch horn sounded in the distance signalling dinner was ready.

"Well Percy, my boy, that is quite the tale. Come dinner is ready." Chiron said with a smile on his face. He turned and ducked out of the room into the hallway.

"I'm hungry." Leo announced as he rubbed the last of the soot of his chest. We all filed out of the big house and onto the porch.

Frank and Hazel were hand in hand and started off towards the pavilion, where a lot of campers were heading. Leo followed closely behind and then by Jason and Piper. Piper turned around and looked at us.

"Are you three coming?" she asked looking at Nico on my right and Thalia on my left. "I am." Thalia said before giving me a slight punch on the shoulder and walking towards Jason and Piper who were starting to walk off.

"What was that for?" I called out to her, a smile stretched across my face. She turned around so she was walking backwards.

"It's just good to have you back, Kelp Head." She shouted back, before turning and walking off towards the pavilion at a quickened pace.

I turned to look at Nico, who was already looking at me with raised eyebrows. He let out a sigh and shook his head, walking off in the direction of our camp. I shrugged to nobody in particular, before following him.

We headed back to our campsite, which was set up as it would usually be. Slowly everyone gathered around the tables eagerly awaiting food. As we were back in camp, I decided to make food like we had here.

I summoned plates of smoked brisket. Loaves of fresh bread with fine cheeses, grapes and apples as well as an assortment of other foods we would normally enjoy at camp. As the food burnt into existence everyone cheered and began passing the food around.

We all ate, telling jokes and just horsing around. We sacrificed our left overs to the gods as we would usually do. Before heading to where the campfire glowed brightly in the middle of our camp.

As we did I took a glance up at the hill and saw the campers all heading towards the Amphitheatre, which gave me an idea.

"Everyone!" I called out, getting everyone to turn their heads and listen. "Tonight, instead we are going to head up to the amphitheatre and spend some time with the campers, your brothers and sisters." I called out earning some excited yet also apprehensive looks.

We all trekked up to the amphitheatre and walked in. Many of the Apollo campers were about to step up onto the stage, their instruments ready. The fire in the centre was burning a fiery orange colour. I saw Hestia sat in the middle smiling at me, she nodded her head up towards the stands before disappearing into the flames.

All of the campers were packed into the seats, mingling with each other. They were all staring at us, with shocked and confused expressions. I recognised many and they recognised me. Then there was a gap in the stands with empty seats, followed by Artemis and her hunters who were all at the very edge, away from the campers.

They all looked rather solemn and upset, even Thalia, who was much happier earlier. We slowly walked up towards the stands taking the spot between the campers and hunters, filling the amphitheatre.

Chiron stood from his spot at the front and cantered up to the stage.

"Heroes!" he bellowed. "As you know I have already introduced Artemis and her hunt. I would also like to formally introduce the.." He looked at me, and I nodded. "Champions of Hestia." He announced earning a roar of confusion and approval. "Please, I'd implore you to get to know your siblings, as you will have many within the group." He called out before nodding to the Apollo campers who got up onto stage and began their first song.

Within a minute I was completely swamped by my old friends, getting more hugs and punches than I could count.

"It's good to see you again, Prissy." Clarisse said pulling away from a hug. She had become much softer since the end of the wars. Her boyfriend, Chris had truly done something special to her.

I turned and saw all of the campers mingling with all the guys behind me, purple, orange and black mixing in a rage of colours.

As the sing-along began to die down, we all left the amphitheatre in twos and threes heading back to our cabins or camp.

I said my goodbyes to Katie and Travis who were now dating, finally, before walking back towards my tent.

As I was walking I took a sneak glance at cabin three. I diverted course and walked across the green in between the cabins to the low coral building that I had called home for years.

I stepped into the threshold of the Poseidon cabin. Nothing had changed since the day I had left. My covers on my bunk were still ruffled the same way I had left them. A fine layer of dust was covering everything other than the water fountain in the corner, which gave a little gurgle of acknowledgement as I stepped in.

I looked up at the Minotaur horn that was hung on the wall above my bed. It felt like a lifetime ago, when I had fought my first monster.

"Not a soul has stepped in here since the day you left." A voice said from behind startling me.

I turned around to come face to face with a tanned man with sea green eyes, raven black hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He was wearing his usual Bermuda shirt and Khaki shorts.

"Dad." I said with a smile stepping forward and embracing him.

"I take it you won't be staying in my cabin anymore, hmmm?" he said slyly with a smile stretched across his face.

"Sorry, dad." I said back with a sad smile on my face.

"Ah, Percy, I care not. You have other commitments, and I approve of what you are doing for Hestia." He said putting a hand on my shoulder his eyes sparkling with recognition.

"Even though I'm her champion, you'll always be my dad." I returned earning a massive smile. "And you'll always be my son. I'll leave you two to it." He said before dissolving into sea mist, his hand still on my shoulder.

I blinked a few times confused before turning around to see my patron standing there in the doorway of the cabin.

-Line Break-

 _Knock, Knock, Knock_. I sat up on my bed looking around my tent.

"Sorry Chiron, sir. Percy sleeps like the dead." A voice from outside the flap announced. "He always has." Chiron returned with a chuckle.

I threw the covers off and hastily threw a t-shirt on. I opened the tent flap and winced at the harsh light pouring in.

"Morning Percy." Chiron said with a slight smirk. "Good morning Chiron." I said tipping my head to him before turning to glare at the eldest son of Hermes in our group next to him. "Joe…" He gave me a smirk before running off and disappearing into the tents.

"Seeing as you'll be here for, well I have no idea how long, we have come up with an activities schedule for you. I assume you'll be able to handle your own training?" To be honest I hadn't even thought about how long we would be here. Our mission was to escort the hunt to camp, but now that I was here, I wanted to stay for a while, before we departed off back into the world.

"Thank you, Chiron." I said taking the sheet from him and looking at the timetable. "My pleasure, my boy, now I have Ancient Greek with the young ones, I will see you later." He said with a smile before galloping off towards the big house.

I quickly ran and had a hot shower, something I hadn't had in a long time, before running back, getting changed and heading to our breakfast area.

I summoned a buffet for everyone before sitting and tucking in myself.

After breakfast, I stood and got everyone's attention. "We have been given an activity timetable by Chiron and the Gods of Heroes. We don't have to stick by them, but I thought why not. We aren't just going to laze off here." I announced earning a few groans.

"This morning we have the Climbing wall fully available to us, as well as a few of the nature spirits are willing to help us with endurance. After lunch, we have half the arena, we are sharing with Lord Jason, who is leading the younger campers."

Everyone perked up, excited at the fact that we got to use an actual arena, though it was no different to when we normally train, just that we are encircled with walls and seats.

"Finally, Lady Hestia came to me last night. Her cabin at camp apparently is and always will be available for us to use along with her table in the pavilion, we'll move in later today. Now, everyone strap on full gear and meet at the climbing wall in 15 minutes." I yelled out.

15 minutes later we were all geared up in our full combat gear, minus the weaponry, and were walking towards the climbing wall.

We all crowded around the base looking up as it spewed out a fresh batch of molten lava.

"It looks bigger than I remember." Nico whispered in my ear. I gave him a small smile before turning around to the anxious group of boys behind me.

"We're going up in 4's. If you aren't fast enough, you'll probably die." I shouted out, earning a few gulps as well as smiles. It was a challenge, and if we were anything, it was competitive.

The first 4 all got ready at the base of the climbing wall. Nico waved his hand and a pure black whistle appeared in his hand. He put it to his lips and blew.

The second the whistle went off the 4 boys instantly began climbing. I winced every time lava got close to one of them, but they made it to the top mostly unscathed.

The next group had a few issues. One boy was smacked in the chest by a flying rock and fell all the way to the bottom. Thankfully he wasn't that high up, so the fall didn't injure him, much.

Next it was my turn. I was no exception to the training we went through, we were all equals and I thought it would boost morale if I was 'stuck in the mud' with the rest of them.

Ethan walked up next to me and cracked his fingers.

"Ready?" I asked him. He gave me a nod as Nico blew the whistle.

I instantly took off in a sprint at the wall. I didn't even bother to slow down instead using my momentum to run two full legs up the face of the wall, before my feet slipped under me and I was forced to grab on. I was already well ahead of everyone else. Probably because I'd done this a million times before.

I climbed dodging lava and flying rocks. When the miniature earthquake went off it had almost zero effect on me. Being the son of the Earthshaker definitely has its merits.

I reached the top in our groups record time and waited for everyone else to make it up, before the simulation stopped and we rappelled back down.

We each went a few more times, trying to best our old scores before we called it quits.

We took a quick break before walking down to the beach. A few of the nymphs came out of the woods and joined us. They had agreed to help with our stamina and sprinting, like they did when I had first arrived at camp.

We all lined up and on an unspoken signal we all took off in a fast jog.

By the time we saw the last leg of our race around camp the nature spirits were miles ahead and already finishing, followed closely by the Hermes kids and then the rest of us all mashed together. I ran across the line somewhere in the middle of the group and came to a stop panting in exhaustion. The sun was now high in the sky and beating down on our backs.

After a moment or so the few Hephaestus kids ran across the finish marker, grumbling. They had been trailing at the back the entire way. They were all really strong, packed with muscle from working our armour and weapons when they wern't training, but that also left them on the bulky side.

"Lunch?" I called out as I along with everyone else caught their breaths. They all nodded in agreement. We picked up our gear, which we had just run in and slowly walked back over to our camp.

We all collapsed around the tables. I summoned a few large platters of various sandwiches and snacks, to which I almost passed out.

Within a couple of minutes all of the food was gone, not a crumb left spare. We really weren't good runners, unlike the hunters.

After a short break we all picked ourselves up and headed over to the Arena. My eyes widened as we walked in. The inside was twice the size as when I was last at camp. It could quite easily fit all the campers inside.

I looked over to the other side of the arena where Jason was stood infront of group of younger campers, they all had armour strapped on and Jason was showing them the base fundamentals of swordsmanship; such as footwork, grips and timing.

Luke, who had been quickly claimed upon entering camp, was stood in the group silently observing Jason as he showed some basic moves. He had moved into the Apollo cabin and seemed to be enjoying it, though I was unsure as he didn't really express himself. Zoë was still with the hunters and seemed to be enjoying her time there too.

I turned my attention back to Jason, and from watching him I was very impressed. Jason was a very good fighter, and the way he fought was very effective. He never used any fancy moves or wide swings instead focusing on quick powerful blows.

However, as I was watching I could spot a few flaws in his technique, that if he was against a skilled opponent, they would definitely capitalise on. For example, while he was showing a short combo of thrusts and slashes he would put way too much force into his thrusts and it would unbalance him, even though they were controlled he could also easily over extend and leave himself open to an attack from a different direction or be disarmed.

After a few minutes of observing I turned back around to see everyone ready, strapped up in armour, shields and spears on display.

"Okay, today we're going to work on recovery as well as draw times for your swords. It is an extremely useful skill to be able to draw your sword in time to block a weapon. Let me demonstrate." I called out getting into a ready position. Drawing riptide and securing it behind my shield, in the straps.

I beckoned Nico forward who then drew his stygian iron sword before charging straight at me. We exchanged a few blows to each other his sword against my spear. He definitely had the advantage as I wasn't the best at using a spear.

After another minute or so of sparring I nodded to Nico. I threw my spear to the side as he slashed horizontally at my throat. Within half a second my sword was out and blocking the strike. Though my arms jarred from the force of his strike, I held firm.

I nodded to Nico who lowered his sword. "The next thing you all need to work on is parrying and or dodging. I know it sounds like one of the most basic skills and all of you can do it. However, when in a fight, blocking a powerful strike can shake, dislocate or even break your arm and shoulder. Being able to divert attacks away from you and not taking the full force can be the difference between life and death. Observe!"

I turned to Nico who raised his shield ready. I ran at him and swung riptide down in an arc. Riptide clanged against the metal of the shield, though he wasn't expecting the second and third attack to come within such rapid succession. After the third hit, Nico was already squatting down towards the floor under the force of the blows.

"That's all it takes… three hits and his arm probably feels like shit." I shouted out turning to look at Nico. He nodded his head in conformation.

I paired everyone up and set them to work, as there was an odd number of us I stood out and walked around giving feedback.

"No, you see Bruce, you never want to take a hit like that. Even though you don't feel the shock of the hit now, you will in a minute or two, and it will definitely wear you down." I said to him before nodding for his opponent to start fighting again.

It was normal for the Ares kids to charge in and just take hits. They were already devastating fighters, so I wondered what they'd be like if they actually had some serious battle smarts like the children of Athena.

I looked up from the fighting duo to the stands of the Arena. The whole hunt, including Artemis were sat observing us, as well as a few campers a few seats away. They were all watching intently as we trained, and were whispering to each other.

I shook my head and went back to the task. After another 10 minutes or so I glance back up at them again. Thalia was clearly in a heated discussion with Artemis. The other hunters were all listening to them. Some of them including Artemis had pained expressions on their faces, whilst others were nodding.

After a minute or so of watching, Artemis turned her gaze onto me. She nodded her head to Thalia who had a triumphant look on her face, never once breaking eye contact with me.

Thalia stood up from the stands and ran down the steps and into the arena towards me.

"Hey Thals, what's up?" I asked giving her a quizzical look.

"Hey Percy, can we talk for a minute?" I nodded to her and called for a short break for everyone. We stepped off to the side of the arena.

"There is a capture the flag game tomorrow." She explained "It's hunters against campers." She said looking over to the few hunters sat in the stands.

"Well isn't that a bit unfair?" I asked gesturing to the low number of hunters. There were around 80 campers in the camp right now, which meant the hunters would be at around 10-1 odds.

"Well the thing is, there wasn't going to be a game, because of our low numbers. But we may have been… goaded into a game." My eyes widened and I slapped the palm of my hand against my face.

"Hey! They said, 'seeing as we aren't playing we are forfeiting our lead' and then Phoebe got angry saying that we would win anyway." She explained looking down at the floor.

"And now you can't back down without looking weak, but you have a slim chance of winning." I finished, summarising what they were saying.

"Yeah… basically." She answered. "So where do I come into this?" I asked furrowing my eyebrows at her.

"Right, well we were wondering… if.. wecouldhaveyourhelp?" She said whispering the last part. I blinked a few times trying to process what she was asking. The hunt was asking for our help to win a capture the flag game.

"Earth to kelp-head!" she shouted waving her hand infront of my face. "Oh sorry, er, of course Thals." I answered.

A massive smile grew on her face and she launched herself at me, pulling me into a hug. After a second she pulled away, her cheeks a tint of pink. "Sorry." She mumbled before turning and running up to the stands and the hunt who were all now staring at me.

I turned back around and walked over to where everyone was sat, enjoying their break. I gathered them up and explained that there was a capture the flag game tomorrow and the hunt had asked us to join their team.

Though the odds were much better, it would still be a tough game, seeing as the campers weren't mindless monsters and they actually used tactics.

We finished up our training with a new-found enthusiasm before heading back to our campsite. We packed up our tents quickly before moving towards the Hestia cabin to get settled in before dinner.

We walked towards the low log cabin. It looked like one of those nice cabins you'd see in Scandinavia, or maybe northern Canada. The walls were made of pine logs, it had a few glass windows and a chimney on the roof that was pouring out smoke.

I stepped up and twisted the knob on the door and gasped in shock. The inside had no way of fitting in the building, which meant the room was magically enlarged.

On all of the walls were doors, side by side, at least 20 in all facing inwards towards a commons area There were 4 large sofas and 3 armchairs as well as a few beanbags, they all faced inward towards a roaring fireplace.

Our patron, Hestia was sat on one of the sofas just watching us with raised eyebrows. We all bowed as we entered.

"Lady Hestia." I said standing up from my bow. I could tell from the way she was looking at me she wanted to speak to me alone.

"Go on guys, everyone get settled in and ready for dinner." I said before walking over to Hestia.

All of the guys ran over to different rooms and began dumping their stuff. I took a seat next to Hestia who was still looking at me with raised eyebrows.

"This cabin seems a bit… overkill." I said gesturing to the luxurious cabin around us. "Well seeing as you spend all of your time sleeping in a tent, I thought it'd be nice if you all had somewhere you could call home." She answered. After a few seconds of silence, she snapped her fingers. A new door appeared at the end of the row. She winked at me before disappearing in a soft orange light.

I stood up and walked over to the new door. I opened it to reveal a nice king sized bed with a warm red duvet and white pillows. A small desk sat in the corner and a closet with an armour stand next to it. A window hung above the desk.

I began taking off my armour and then quickly got changed into a new set of clothes.

I stepped out of my room into the cabin. Everyone was either sat in their rooms, which were shared in twos or on the sofas. I smiled as I watched the guys horsing around, telling jokes and chatting like we were all regular teenagers.

The conch horn sounded in the distance. They all looked over towards me and I raised my eyebrows. "Time for dinner." I announced earning a few cheers. We walked out of the cabin, earning more than a few confused looks from the other campers as we all piled out of this small log cabin.

We walked up the hill toward the pavilion and in towards the Hestia table. It was a bit of a squeeze, but we all managed to fit on.

Chiron gave us a curious look from the head table before stamping his hoof. The 7 immortal campers were sat up there along with Artemis, though there was a gap between her and Hazel.

"Heroes, I have a few announcements before dinner. Whomever it is-" he said staring right at the Stoll twins "- who is painting the Ares cabin pink, would they please refrain from doing so again." He tried to sound serious, but the small smile on his face told a different story.

"Next, as you all know from the announcement last night at dinner, we will be playing our usual friendly game of capture the flag against the hunters tomorrow after lunch." This generated a load of cheers and high fives from the campers. "However, it appears that the hunters have made an alliance with Perseus and those from his group and they will be playing alongside the hunters." This earned a round of cheers from our table, whilst the campers looked a little worried and upset.

"Now remember, you all have tomorrow morning to devise plans with your teams, as it appears this will be a game for the ages. Now that is all." Chiron announced before he went back to his food as a nymph came forward with a platter of breads.

I gave a slight nod towards Artemis, who nodded back before turning my attention to my food.

-Line Break-

I arrived at the big house alongside Nico to find Thalia and Artemis already there.

"You're late." Thalia pointed out. I glared at her as we walked in and sat around the ping pong table. "So, what's the plan?" Nico asked casually putting his feet up on the table.

"You are sure to lose if you fight them head on." Artemis stated, raising her eyebrows at Nico.

"I agree. How about if Thalia, you and the older hunters head after the flag, causing as much disruption to the campers as you go. And you leave behind the young hunters for us as support and we all sit and defend the flag." I explained

"I like this idea, however what assurance do we have that you can in fact hold until the hunters get the flag across the river?"

"We'll hold… we can do that." I said rubbing the back of my neck.

"Very well I'll trust your word, you have let to yet anyone down yet. It is decided then, Thalia you shall lead the hunters to find the flag, whilst Zoë and Sophie stay behind with Perseus and the rest of his group and defend the flag. Hopefully you will find the flag before they are overwhelmed."

 **A/N: Really enjoyed writing this chapter, no idea why.**

 **I've had quite a tough time finding a noun for Percy's group. E.g. the Hunt, hunters. The camp, campers. Etc. I can't call them campers because they aren't. And warriors or soldiers doesn't sound right. If anyone has any suggestions please send them my way.**

 **Thanks for all the positive feedback thus far.**

 **Please tell me what you guys think. I work off feedback and try to cater to what you guys like. Leave reviews or send me PM's I always respond and I'm interested what you guys think of the story so far and where you think it is going to go.**

 **As well, the end of my college course is coming up, literally in a week or two, so I may not update for a week due to the end of my project and the fact I'm gonna be working my but off.**

 **That's all, till next time! c:**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi….. Pls don't hurt me ;_;**

Chapter 13

Percy's POV

An array of celestial bronze armour sat infront of us. Loads of chest pieces, greaves, vambraces and helmets all that sported blue plumes. The campers, or red team were furiously strapping their armour on and preparing themselves for the game, whilst we were all standing around not wanting to touch the armour.

Behind the table of armour was a table of weapons. That also remained untouched. We already had our own tailor-made and balanced weapons. And I knew from experience that the weapons the camp provided may be off balance for a lot of people as the swords weren't made for the user, they were forged to certain sizes and weights.

Our flag, which was currently sporting the hunt's banner, was leaning against a pillar. It was silver all over with a crescent moon shape in an even brighter silver. Just below the moon, two bright silver coloured Ceryneian Hinds were leaping through the air. If I recall they were Artemis's sacred animal. It was said to have hooves of bronze and antlers of gold.

The God's of Heroes and Artemis, who were currently sat at the head table, were not allowed to play in this game, as whichever team they joined it would be unfair for the other. That, unfortunately, also included Nico, my number 2. I was alone in charge of defending the flag from essentially 3 times our numbers.

"Hey, you got me kelp-head!" Thalia said as if reading my mind. She gave me a punch on the shoulder.

"What?" I asked in confusion. Thalia raised an eyebrow before putting her hands on her hips.

"You're just standing there, sadly staring at Nico. You didn't forget about me, did you?" she responded.

"No, of course not Thals. How could I ever forget about you?" I said with a wink before backpedalling a few steps into the crowd.

"The game is about to begin!" Chiron bellowed out with a stamp of his hoof.

There was a roar from the opposition as they shouted taunts and jeers at us, before racing off into the woods towards what I could only assume was Zeus's fist, as it was in their half. Gods were they predictable.

Thalia picked up our flag and quietly started to walk off into our half of the woods, followed by the rest of her hunters. Though we had made a temporary alliance with the hunt, it didn't mean they had to like it. They still gave us the cold shoulder, and would sneer when one of us got to close. However, the insults had dropped to an all-time low, which I guess was good.

We all rendezvoused around a small pile of rocks, nowhere near the size of Zeus's fist. This small pile of rocks was no bigger than 6 feet, around half the size of Zeus's fist. Thalia planted the flag a few feet away from the rock.

"Here seems as good as anywhere." She said with a shrug before turning to me. "Right, everyone gather around. We're going to go over the plan one more time." I called out.

Everyone gathered around me, even the hunters, albeit reluctantly.

"Thalia, you're going to lead a small group of hunters as our attack force. You'll take your most experienced hunters, laying traps as you go and are going to secure the flag. We don't have the numbers to attack so we're going to have to play defensively. The majority of us will stay by the flag and hold it until you win us the game."

"This is a good plan." Someone called out from behind me. I gave a nod and a smile, before continuing. "Everyone get ready!" I yelled out. before grabbing Thalia by the arm.

"Thalia, you can't be seen and you will have to be quick. If I know Clarisse, I have an idea of what is coming." I whispered to her. She nodded before taking off towards the other hunters.

The conch horn sounded and 5 of the hunters including Thalia raced off into the woods.

The remaining two hunters, Zoë and Sophie stood a few feet away from us awkwardly.

"Zoë, bring your friend over to the flag." I called out to them. They exchanged a few words before walking over towards us. "You two are going to stay here and defend the flag, okay?" I asked kneeling down.

"Okay, Percy." She said with a nod. I gave her a smile before standing back up.

"Form up around the flag!" I yelled out.

With that we formed a loose semi-circle around the flag, a few feet infront of it, with the rocks to our backs. A few kids of Apollo, favoured using their bow over spear and shield and were standing with Zoë and Sophie.

It was relatively quiet, I couldn't hear any fighting happening in the woods. That meant Thalia and her hunters got through unseen.

It had been a few minutes since the start of the game, and we still hadn't seen any sign of the reds.

A light-brown haired son of Athena to my left leaned over to me. "Are games normally this quiet? Nico described it as chaotic." He questioned. I could see his eyebrows furrowing under his helmet.

"No normally something would have happened by now. Which is what I'm also confused about." I responded not taking my eyes off the woods, looking for any trace of movement.

"Well if our teams were in switched positions, and we had the numbers, I would order a full out attack. Leave only a few defenders, no security, no scouts, nothing. I wouldn't have a tactical plan, I'd just bomb rush them and overwhelm them with superior numbers." He explained.

"That's child of Ares talk, right there, there's no tactic whatsoever." I responded plainly. Though that got me thinking, Clarisse was in charge of the red team. I turned and looked behind me at the small outcropping of rock, a few feet up. I had a lot of experience with capture the flag, and they knew that. They would probably think that I would expect some crazy and devious plan to get past me. Instead they may go for something as simple as just rushing us and overwhelming us. I felt a lump form in my throat at the thought.

"Does everyone remember the bubble formation?" I called out. It was returned with a few yes's and nods. "Good…" I responded blandly. "The hunters and the flag is the mark. When I give the signal, we will form up. Until then, tighten ranks!"

On my signal, we formed up into a tighter circle around the flag, our shields interlocking to form a wall. I would call it a Phalanx, but it wasn't. It was only a one-man thick shield wall.

A few moments later a hunter leapt into the small clearing and towards our line, it was Atalanta. She stopped just short of our line. She was covered in small cuts and bruises. "Perseus?" she yelled out looking at each of our faces.

"Yeah?" I responded, lowering my shield.

Her eyes were wide, and darting about. "It was a…" she began only to be interrupted by a humongous war cry. Instantly the hunter sprinted towards us. She leapt over our lines into the middle of the circle with her sisters and drew her bow aiming for the woods. A moment later we were completely swarmed by campers. Charging from all sides, save the side with rocks.

"BRACE UP!" Bruce yelled from over to the right. We all tightened up and planted ourselves ready for the impact. But it never came. Instead the campers had stopped around 10 meters away. And were all grinning and smiling evilly.

The son of Athena to my left turned and looked at me. "I'm gonna have to thank you later for this." I said before turning back to the line of campers. He was right, the entire camp team was here. They had taken out our attack party according to Atalanta, and now all they had to do was get the flag.

"NOW!" Clarisse screamed out from the front line of campers. A few Apollo campers climbed up the rocks behind us and drew their bows.

"Bubble!" I yelled out. We all quickly turned and ran inwards towards the flag.

I slammed my shield into the ground, as everyone formed up around, the flag and the three hunters. We stacked shields on shields until we had formed a dome of shields, a bubble. The weakest point of the formation being the shield at the very top.

As the last shield slid into place we were peppered by arrows from the campers on the rocks and in their lines a few meters away. After a few moments, the campers began throwing rocks and even in some cases spears at us. The constant thudding was nerve racking, though everything they threw bounced off. The banging didn't do anything to help the morale inside our little protective bubble.

To us the campers outside were like a ravenous horde that will stop at nothing to get to us. And that anyone who broke formation would instantly be slaughtered.

As the arrows continued raining, I began channelling my powers over the hearth. Thankfully, due to the close-proximity that we were all in, we were all pretty much touching, meaning I could easily spread my influence without having to move. I was unable to incite hope into people without touching them, so this was lucky.

I felt sweat drip off the side of my head as I focused. I slowly placed my hand to the person in between my legs, who's shield was covering the lower half of my legs. I focused on removing the fear, and doubt of the situation, having him only focusing on the thought of winning. As I did, I felt the muscles in his shoulders relax.

I then moved my hand to the person half perched on my shoulders. His shield was covering the top of my head, and then all his own body. I concentrated again, focusing on the hope that we would win and flaring that feeling inside him. Instantly, I could feel a new determination rolling off him.

As I looked around, I could see the effect moving around or little dome of shields. Even the hunters were being affected. They didn't look scared. Their eyes were glinting with a fiery determination to win.

"We need to take out those archers first!" Bruce yelled out from somewhere behind me. He was right. We couldn't move in our formation, and eventually the campers would attack.

"I agree!" I yelled out. "Hunters, get ready! We're going to open some holes for you to shoot through." I called out to the three hunters behind me. Atalanta gave me a nod of affirmation before knocking an arrow and aiming at where the Apollo kids would be perched. The arrows were all blunt tipped to avoid any fatal accidents. The blunt was still metal though and hurt a lot.

"Ready?" I yelled out to the hunters who were all aiming their bows. They nodded, not taking their eyes off the area where the archers would be.

"3, 2, 1" I counted down before two windows opened at around head height. In a flash 3 arrows were sent sailing out at the archers who had no time to prepare. Some of the archers on the rocks were hit, whilst the rest dove off for cover.

We repeated the process a few more times, changing the angle and height that the gap would open in order to confuse the campers.

"SCREW THIS!" I heard Clarisse shout in the distance before a loud war cry went out again. They were just going to charge us and knock us over with bodies.

"SHIELD WALL!" I yelled out. With deadly precision the bubble of shields collapsed into a small circular shield wall. All of our shields locking into place so that there was no specific weak point.

Just as we did this the small army of campers came thundering towards us. The hunters had done some damage, but not a lot.

As the campers crashed into our lines, a few were instantly knocked out of the game. Though generally most collided into the wall. A large boy, holding his sword high above his head came running straight at me. I braced my self behind my shield and felt a heavy thud as he bounced back off.

I swung my spear overhead down onto the top of the camper behind the first. My spear smashed against his helmet with a crack, slightly denting the bronze. He fell to the ground unconscious almost immediately.

I ducked down as a sword was swung straight at my head. It instead clipped the edge of my shield and, because of the enormous pressure on our shields, bounced straight back into the boy's face, bloodying his nose.

I took a moment to survey the field around me. There were a lot of campers. Almost triple our numbers and they were swarming us. They would eventually find a way to get through. Then I realised it. If they were all here, nobody was guarding their flag.

"Atalanta!" I yelled back, ducking under another vicious lunge. "They're all here." I finished. She drew and shot another arrow before looking at me with a confused expression. I turned and threw my spear randomly into the crowd infront of us hearing a satisfying 'Ow' from someone.

I drew riptide and smashed the pommel into the next campers helmet. He crumpled to the floor on top of a few of his fellow campers. "The flag is undefended." I yelled again. A look of realisation finally crossed her face. She nodded, placing her bow down and drawing her knives.

"We need to clear a path for the Lady." I said with a smile to the son of Athena next to me. He nodded wistfully, knowing what was to come next.

"READY TO BREAK FORMATION!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, startling some of the campers infront of us. And on my signal, every single one of us pushed out as hard as we could.

The effects were instantaneous. The front line of campers fell back into the ones behind them. In the confusion Atalanta squeezed through a small gap and made it off into the woods unnoticed.

Now came the hard part. Having thankfully already switched to my sword I charged straight into the regrouping campers. I came upon a small camper who was wearing a helmet 2 size two big for him. I felt bad, as that is probably what I looked like in my first Capture the Flag game. I quickly disarmed him and pushed him on his ass, leaving no serious injuries.

"Jackson!" Clarisse yelled to my left. A moment later she shoulder barged me, sending me face first into the dirt.

I raised my head and spat out a mound of grass that I had bitten out of the earth. I quickly rolled to the side avoiding the butt of Clarisse's spear being jammed into the dirt where my head would have been.

I kicked upwards, nailing Clarisse in the stomach and pushing her away from me, giving me time to get up. I looked around at the carnage. It was easily one against two at this point. We were almost all on defence against the campers not having any opening to attack.

I turned back to Clarisse who sent me a murderous glare before hefting her spear and charging straight at me again. She struck a low thrust towards me, which I easily deflected with my shield, countering with my own overhead slash. Riptide fell just a few inches short of her arm guards, which is what I was aiming for.

She countered my failed slash with another shoulder barge, this time against my shield. She then spun and slammed the butt of her spear right through the middle of my guard and into my stomach. I let out a grunt of pain and took a few steps back.

"I thought you were better than this, Jackson." Clarisse yelled out at me with a grin. That did it. The next thing I did was not unlike me, though you would still never expect it from an opponent. I ran straight at her and threw my shield. She obviously wasn't expecting it as it crashed straight into the front of her helmet.

Clarisse was laying on her back, spear in hand as I got to her. I kicked the spear right next to where she was holding it, knocking it from her grasp. And placed my sword against her neck.

"I yield!" she shouted holding her nose underneath her now dented helmet.

I looked back to the bloodbath behind me. People were spread all over. Most on the floor injured or out of the game. I did a quick head count. There were 12 of my guys left and probably over 30 of the campers left.

The two youngest hunters Zoë and Sophie were stood with next to the flags with Bruce, the Son of Ares and Ethan the son of Apollo just infront, guarding them. There were 6 campers trying to surround them and get to the flag.

If Atalanta didn't get back with the flag soon we weren't going to survive much longer. I ran over to the small group guarding the flag and was about to bash a camper over the back of the head when the conch horn blew, signalling the end of the game.

My team erupted into cheers, many of the ones left standing, dropping their arms in exhaustion. I slipped my helmet off, sweat pouring down my cheeks in the heat. I took a quick look around and caught a blood red flag with an image of a boar's head coming into the clearing.

Atalanta with the flag in one hand and a limping Thalia in the other walked into the parade of cheers with grins on their faces. I let a smile out at them before stabbing Riptide into the ground and helping a camper with a dented helmet up onto his feet. He gave me a grin before running off to some other campers, their red plumes sticking up over the masses.

"Well Perseus, I must congratulate you." A voice came from behind. I turned to see a silvery eyed goddess, her face showing no emotion, but her eyes betraying the truth of happiness.

"I never had any doubt." She said finally breaking a small smile. And nodding over towards a few of the guys helping the younger hunters over to their comrades.

"Thank you, Milady." I returned with a smile. She turned and walked off towards Thalia, where the rest of the hunt were congregating.

I walked over to where I had hit Clarisse in the face and picked up my shield, strapping it over my back. Before returning to where my group stood. Most had suffered minor injuries, the most serious being a broken arm, where the poor boy had had a large camper from the Hephaestus camper fall on his arm. It had been quickly wrapped up in a sling by an Apollo camper and he was chewing on a piece of ambrosia.

"Well done guys!" I shouted earning a small round of cheers from the guys. "I'm proud of all of you for holding off against that many campers for that long. You all did well." I said earning a few grins.

"Hey Percy, you guys coming to the victory feast, or are you just gonna stand there?" a voice behind me called out. I turned expecting to find Thalia, but instead found Atalanta and Phoebe stood. Thalia was a little further away walking through the trees in the direction of the Pavilion.

"Yeah, were coming." I said with a little surprise. The two hunters turned and followed their sisters off into the woods. All the guys began trailing off into the woods towards camp. As I turned to follow a glimmer of black caught my eye. Nico was sat on rock with a smirk on his face.

"I think they're warming up to you." He said standing up. I let out a sigh and shook my head. I had no idea what was with the hunters. They seemed to go from hating every male on the earth to tolerating us and even speaking to us.

"Let's go." I said to the Ghost King, walking off towards the camp.

"I liked when you hit Clarisse with your shield." Nico said following me.

"You saw that!?" I returned. He nodded and laughed a little

"How could I miss it. It was bloody incredible." He finished making us both laugh.

-Line Break-

The victory feast was incredible. And it was nice not having to summon food for us. I was already exhausted. We finished our meal around the time the sun was beginning to set. After that we all gathered round the amphitheatre.

We were all gathered round singing. When a rumble of thunder drew my attention. Almost everyone else looked up into the sky in the direction of the thunder.

Artemis then disappeared from her seat in a silvery flash. A few people noticed her disappear, but most were still looking up at the sky. The hearth in the middle of the amphitheatre was a golden yellow colour showing the curiosity of the campers, but also their caution.

Another flash of light this time drew everyone's attention. Hermes was stood at the front talking with the 5 Gods of Heroes. Piper, Jason, Leo, Frank and Hazel all had concerned looks on their faces. And then with a nod from Jason they all disappeared in a blue light.

I looked around for Nico, who was sat with us, but I found he was also gone. The confusion began to rise in the campers at the disappearance of all the present gods. After a few seconds Hermes reappeared at the front and gestured for me to come down. I stood up and walk through the crowds down to the front.

"Where is Thalia?" Hermes asked quite seriously. I pointed up to hunters and Hermes repeated, gesturing for her to come down to us as well. She emerged from the crowd with an apprehensive look on her face.

Before I knew it, Hermes had grabbed both of us and we had teleported. I looked around a little confused at the sudden change environment before I came face to face with a fuming Zeus. I looked at Thalia who began to bow before she was waved off by Zeus. My eyes bulged out of my skull at Zeus waving off bowing as if it was nothing. He was serious about tradition and lesser beings bowing to him.

Thalia walked over and sat at the base of Artemis's throne whilst I walked over to Poseidon's throne and sat, deeming it to be the fastest way out of Zeus's line of fire and closer than Hestia's throne.

As I sat down Zeus slammed his bolt drawing the attention of everyone present in the council room.

"They've stolen it!" Zeus thundered out, small sparks of electricity flaking off him. "I believe this is the start. The next Great Prophecy is coming to pass." He says making the entire council hold their breath.

"We cannot allow them to win. Perseus" He bellowed out turning to me. "I want you to lead a quest and bring it back." He finished looking at me, almost pleadingly.

"Father!" Apollo called out, pulling Zeus's glare off of me. "What exactly has been stolen?" Zeus took a moment to look around at the bewildered council. He let out a grimace before pointing at an empty bubble of water floating in the corner of the room.

Apollo scratched his head in confusion, looking at the bubble. Athena then gasped out in shock-horror. Then the realisation his me. Bessie, the Ophiotaurus was gone.

"Oh fuck." Apollo whispered out looking over at his father. The mood in the council room dropped through the floor. We all knew what the Ophiotaurus could do in the hands of the enemy.

"Artemis, Daughter. You are also to search, as well as you Athena and Hermes. Brothers, I want you to marshal your armies. This time we will be prepared." Zeus finished assigning some of the council tasks. The respective gods nodded.

"Father, I'll accompany Perseus on his quest. If he takes his whole group, they won't be able to move as quickly as if there were only a few of us. Of course, with your permission, My Lady" Thalia called out, standing from her mistress's side.

"I believe that is also a wise decision." Athena called out nodding towards Thalia and Artemis. The latter of which nodded in approval letting Thalia go.

"Very Well." Zeus yelled approving the quest.

"I would like to go as well." Nico said, standing from his small throne next to Hades.

"You are a god. You cannot." Zeus said raising his eyebrow.

"I'm a God of Heroes, surely this falls under my domains?" Nico asked, walking over and standing next to me. Zeus said nothing but nodded at Nico. I knew Zeus was bending the rules a bit letting Nico come, but it seemed almost necessary.

"If Nico's going I want to go too." Jason yelled out, standing. "Me too!" Piper said standing next to him.

"And who is to look after and teach the campers? I think not." Zeus said starting to lose his temper. "You will all remain at the camps-" he said gesturing to the Gods of Heroes "-training the demi-gods. They will need to be prepared if another war is to come." Zeus finished.

"You all have your respective roles, make haste. I declare this council adjourned." Zeus bellowed out disappearing in a shower of lightning and thunder.

All of the gods began to flash out till only Athena and Artemis were remaining. I looked over at both my cousins with a little worry. These quests of 3 bring back old and sad memories.

"My Lady, where are we to look?" Thalia asked Artemis. Artemis raised an eyebrow before looking over at Athena.

"Head west, we'll head south. If we discover anything be sure to contact each other." Artemis said almost mysteriously. With that Artemis and Athena also, both disappeared.

 **A/N:**

 **So**

 **I know I've been out of action for a while. I finished college and have been travelling. Unable to update.**

 **I got back relatively recently and have been working on my other story as well as this one. Ill try to get updates out soon.**

 **Also, I'm moving to British Columbia in January for 11 weeks. I plan on taking my laptop, but may not. Just to let you know if I suddenly stop updating for a while.**

 **Keep reviewing and sending ideas and comments, it really helps.**

 **Lots O' Love**

 **-Jaffacake**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

There were three bags by the throne room doors. One blue, one green and one black. There was a small piece of card on top with the inscription "–H".

I sent a silent prayer of thanks to Hermes as I unzipped the green bag and found a few sets of my clothes, a large roll of cash, a pouch of drachmas, and some nectar and ambrosia in a zip lock bag.

Thalia and Nico had similar items in both their respective bags.

We shouldered our bags and made our way down through Olympus waving at a few of the Minor Gods as the passed us. A familiar song about Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain played in the elevator as we descended.

The doors dinged open and we exited, giving a slight nod towards the usual security guard, who replied with his own curt nod.

It was dark out, but New York was always busy. The streets were bustling with people and the roads were crammed with cars.

We decided to walk as it was only a ten-minute walk to the train station. We were there before I knew it.

"Boston, D.C., Charleston, Detroit." Thalia said rattling off different trains. I scratched my head looking at the other boards. The neon boards were doing nothing to help my dyslexia and I could barely read what they displayed.

"Well, Lady Artemis said West. Let's get the one to Detroit and see if we can maybe head to Chicago after?" Nico spoke up.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Thalia said shouldering her bag and looking at me for approval.

"West is West." I acknowledged nodding my head.

With that Thalia turned and walked over towards the counter. The woman sat behind the counter was a middle-aged red head. She was absentmindedly twirling a pen in her fingers and didn't notice us approach.

"Three tickets to Detroit please." Thalia announced, taking the woman off guard. The woman gave us a once over with a raised eyebrow before typing something on her computer.

"We have an overnight train leaving in 36 minutes or a faster rail in the morning." she responded, turning from her computer to look at us.

"We'll take the overnight train." Thalia said looking at us for approval.

"Cabin or coach?" she asked typing another few things onto the computer. "Cabin." Nico interjected. The woman raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"That'll be $378.89 please." she said, popping open a little slot for money. Nico opened his bag and pulled out a roll of money placing four $100 bills in the slot. She eyed the roll of money in Nico's hand but again said nothing. She gave us our change and our tickets with a quick 'Thank you' before shouting 'Next' ushering the person behind us forward.

The train soon appeared and we boarded, heading towards our cabin. There were four reclining seats facing inwards. I placed my bag down and slumped down into a chair. Nico took the one next to me and Thalia the one opposite. I sat looking out of the window, brooding over the fact that another Great Prophecy was supposedly beginning, another war I was being dragged into.

"Perce, what wrong?" Nico said looking at me with a frown.

"I was just thinking about the prophecy. It's got me a little worried." I replied turning to look at Thalia. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concern as she looked at me.

"Maybe if we go through it, we might be able to deconstruct it, get a bit more of an understanding of what we're facing?" Thalia supplied. I shrugged, but nodded.

"The Twice Saviour of Olympus shall fight, the Blackness, the Darkness, the Eternal Night. The sword and the bow must come together, or fight alone an endless terror. The Prison's walls have begun to break, the end of Olympus in its wake." I recited in a monotone voice not looking up from the floor. The words of the prophecy had haunted me over the past few years, circling around my mind constantly.

The war against Gaia had cost me more than I could have imagined, I didn't know if I was ready for another war.

"Shall fight the Blackness, the Darkness, the Eternal Night. I wouldn't think it'd be your father Nico, last I had heard he and Olympus were on good terms?" Thalia said looking over at Nico.

He nodded in acknowledgement "Yes, relations between my father and Olympus have never been better." he responded with a frown.

"Well who else, maybe Thanatos?" Thalia asked sitting forward. Nico again shook his head. "No, I wouldn't imagine so. Again, the relations between gods have grown much stronger, thanks to Percy's wish after the Second Titan War.

"What about other Primordials?" I piped up silencing the two. They both looked at me with wide eyes before Nico started scratching his chin.

"I thought all the Primordials were gone?" Thalia asked furrowing her eyebrows.

"So did everyone else until Gaia's rising. And then Tartarus appeared before me when I was down there." I said quietly, quickly glancing around the cabin and out the window.

Thalia's mouth dropped open a little. "What do you mean Tartarus appeared before you?" she hissed out with wide eyes.

"Thalia." Nico said pointedly, giving her a look. "Nico it's fine." I said waving him off.

"Just before I escaped through the Doors of Death, he appeared and attacked. I would be dead if not for Damasen who was able to distract his father long enough for me to escape. Thalia looked at me with a worried expression before continuing.

"Well in that case that would mean..." She said, before looking out at the night sky with an audible gulp.

"The Eternal Night..." I responded with a grimace.

"Oh Gods." Thalia cried out closing her eyes.

A few minutes of silence passed as we contemplated the gravity of what had possibly been uncovered.

"I had a dream." Thalia whispered out. She didn't open her eyes but continued to speak.

"I was standing at the edge of a chasm, it stretched as far as the eye could see in either direction. The air was thick and heavy and coated in red mist. The ground was made of black rock and shards of black glass. When I peered over the edge, I saw a cage suspended above the chasm. There was this darkness like a thick black smoke seeping out of cracks in the cage. And then a voice... It acknowledged me, as if I was actually standing there. I spoke to Lady Artemis of this, but she did not have any answers." she finished opening her eyes. I had felt my eyes glaze over and Nico's hand appear on my shoulder during her story. I swallowed down the lump in my throat as she looked at me. Her face took up a confused look before I saw realization dawn, her eyes widening.

"That was Tartarus?" she choked out. I nodded with a grimace.

"The prison's walls have begun to break." Nico spoke absentmindedly not looking at anything in particular.

"Let's hope we're wrong." I whispered out, before the group descended into another bout of silence.

"I think that's enough for one night. Let's try get some sleep." I finished before leaning back into my chair feeling a wave of nausea overcome me. I felt Thalia's eyes on me for a minute or two longer before she relented and leant back too.

-Line Break-

The next morning, we were closing in on Detroit. We agreed to get some breakfast before we arrived, so we headed over to the dining car. We ordered large breakfasts with all the trimmings. I had a cup of coffee whilst Nico and Thalia had orange juice.

"So, what now? West is a bit vague." I asked in between mouthfuls of food. "Maybe we should IM Lady Artemis and Athena to see if they can help?" Thalia supplied.

"Well, we're looking for the Ophiotaurus, and it is a waterborne creature. Maybe ask some nature spirits or Naiads to see if they've seen anything?" Nico said taking a sip of his juice.

"Maybe do both?" I offered. "Any help is better than none. Detroit is at the edge of a lake as well." They both nodded in agreement.

An announcement that we'd be arriving in 15 minutes broke our conversation. We finished up breakfast quickly and returned to our cabin to gather our stuff. Soon enough the train pulled into the station and we exited into the bustling city. I hailed a taxi and we all crammed into the back.

"Where to kids?" the old man sitting in the driver's seat announced, looking at us through the mirror. He had grey thinning hair and wrinkles across his face.

"Can you take us to the lake please?" I asked looking over at Nico.

"Sure can!" he responded with a toothless grin.

It was a short journey to the edge of the lake. The cab driver made some conversation, asking about our day and where we were headed. I didn't pay any attention instead peering out the window. The large buildings and city blocks soon turned into nice suburbs. Large houses with even larger gardens, big green trees lining the roads and the edge of the lake off to the right.

"So where do you want to be dropped?" the man asked looking up in the mirror. Thalia looked out the window before responding.

"Just up here is fine, thank you." The driver dropped us at a small piece of jutting land with a sign saying 'Pier Park'. Nico paid the driver who quickly sped off back towards the city center.

We walked past the past the parking lot and into the luscious green park. There were some tennis courts off to the left and a kids play park and restaurant to our right. Up ahead was a marina with some yachts moored.

There weren't too many people around at the moment which was good.

"I'll go and see if I can find the spirit of this lake. You guys wait here." I said

"Don't take too long kelp head." Thalia said with a smile. I smiled back to her before slipping into the water.

I swam further and further out, using the water to boost my speed before diving down and coming to an abrupt stop. I was stood at the deepest point in the lake. I looked up and saw the surface maybe 10 meters above me.

"Huh, I expected it to be deeper." I said to nobody in particular. I looked around some more, seeing a few empty bottles and one damaged row boat sat on the floor. There wasn't much else though.

"Hellooooooooo" I yelled out looking around. I frowned at the lack of response.

A giggle behind me drew my attention. I turned to find a group of water spirits all staring at me.

"Uh, hello?" I addressed the group standing a few feet in front of me.

Another small round of giggles emanated from the group before one stepped forward. I raised an eyebrow as she approached, her head was lowered towards the floor, her eyes not rising to meet mine. She had long silky black hair, a small heart shaped face framing her beautiful features. Her body was petite. She wore pure white chiton. She had a sort of glow about her, unlike the group behind her that was slightly distracting.

"Uh I could use a little help." I said looking from her to the group behind her, none of which would meet my eyes.

"My name is Nerea and I am the Nereid who presides over this lake. How may we assist you Lord Perseus?" she asked finally looking up.

I was taken aback by her response and looked at her with a questioning glance. She was a Nereid, one of the fifty daughters of Nereus, whom I had met years earlier in San Francisco, and part of the court of Atlantis. "'Lord Perseus'? What? I'm not a God." I said back looking between her and the group of Naiads behind her.

"I am aware my Lord. But you are the favoured son of Poseidon... Royalty." she said looking back down to the floor, her cheeks turning a pink colour.

I felt my eyes widen at her declaration and shook my head.

"Well there is no need. Percy will do." I responded with a smile. She seemed slightly confused but nodded at me.

"Nerea, I am on a mission from Olympus. We are tracking a creature with the head of a cow and the body of a serpent. I just need to know if you have seen it or have heard of its location?" I asked with another smile.

"You speak of the Ophiotaurus?" she asked plainly, to which I nodded in response.

"I have not seen or heard anything my... Percy." she responded I felt my heart faulter.

"But there is someone nearby who might. He is very well connected, and if anyone can help you, he can." she responded with her own smile.

"He's in Toronto, in a place called 'High park' at the edge of Lake Ontario." she finished.

"Thank you, Nerea. You have been a great help." I stated before turning and kicking off the ground back towards the shoreline.

I resurfaced near where I had entered the water. Thalia and Nico were sat at the edge of one of the docks, their feet dangling into the water. I smirked and went back under the water, gliding towards the two.

"BOO!" I screamed out. Which was followed by a shrill scream.

 _Whack_

I had surfaced just in front of the two and startled them, and Thalia's immediate reaction was to kick me in the face. Nico just burst out laughing.

"Jesus, Percy, you scared the life out of me" Thalia said, her hand covering her mouth.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up Death Breath." she said her face turning it a shade of crimson.

"So, anything?" she asked after helping me up onto the dock. Both her and Nico started putting their socks and shoes on whilst I spoke.

"We actually have a lead, I met with a Nereid and she said there was somebody nearby who can help." I answered with a grin.

"Okay, that's good. Where is he?" Nico asked standing up straight.

"In Toronto, a place called High Park." I replied holding onto Thalia's shoulder as she hopped around trying to get her other shoe on.

"I thought you said he was close?" Nico said raising an eyebrow.

"Well... relatively." I retorted a small grin on my face. Nico laughed and shook his head.

We walked out of the side of the park and back towards the main road.

"So, another train? Thalia asked looking back towards the city skyline.

"Nah, I think we should rent a car instead. It gives us a bit more freedom than relying on trains." I returned looking up and down the street. I saw a bus heading down the road towards us. Convenient.

The bus stopped at the stop next to the park and we boarded. We sat near the back of the bus as there were less people.

Soon we returned into the city center. After we stepped off the bus Nico just started walking off. I looked at Thalia, but she shrugged. We followed him through the streets for around ten minutes before he stopped and turned to look at us.

"Rent-A-Car right?" he asked looking at me. I nodded, a little confused. He then pointed across the street to a rental place.

"Oh... How did you know it was here?" I asked. He looked around for a few seconds before giving me a strange look.

"God, remember?" he grunted out with a raised eyebrow. I forgot he was a God at times, he acted no different to his normal self, and never really announced to anyone that he was.

We crossed over the street and walked into the building. There was a man sat on the other side of the sleek white counter. Nico strode up to the counter, the man raising his head from his work to acknowledge us. He never got the chance as Nico snapped his fingers in front of his face.

"We're here to pick up our car, in the name of Nico." he said with an authority. "The 4X4 outside." The man's eyes glazed over and he nodded reaching under his desk. He placed a key on the counter. Nico scooped up the key and tossed it to me. Before walking over to the door. The man behind the counter sat back down and continued working as if nothing had happened.

I shrugged and followed, Thalia on my heels. I walked out and clicked the unlock button feeling satisfied as the _chirp chirp_ sounded from a sleek red Ford F-150.

We dumped our bags on the back seats Thalia taking shotgun much to Nico's chagrin.

"But I got us the car, why am I in the back?" he complained crossing his arms and pouting.

"You didn't call shotgun. You know the rules." she said with a giggle directed towards him.

"My, my, did the great Thalia just giggle?" I said with a smirk as we pulled out of the parking lot. Her face fell open, whilst Nico just burst out laughing.

We set off through the midday traffic following the built in SATNAV towards the Detroit Windsor Tunnel. We followed the lanes of cars through the tunnel and out the other side.

Traffic began to lighten up as we drove further from the city. Soon the city blocks and suburbs faded into fields that stretched on as far as the eye could see. Thalia flicked through radio stations eventually settling on one she liked.

It had heated up in the middle of the day and we had rolled our windows down, blaring the music louder to compensate.

We passed a few towns on the way, but didn't stop, it was a straight road the entire way. On patches of quieter road, I was able to let loose, pushing the car faster. The three-lane road eventually widened into four lanes and more cars were seen forcing me to slow down a little.

A few songs I knew played and I sang along, but others I had no idea. Thalia was animatedly banging on some invisible drums laughing as Nico played the air guitar along.

It was late afternoon when the skyline of the city appeared. I had to admire the city as we drove.

"Can I drive?" Thalia announced from my side. I smirked at her.

"I don't want to get pulled over because there's a 15 year old driving, Thals." She frowned at my smirk and swatted me over the back of the head.

"I'm older than you fish boy." she retorted

"Could have fooled me." I whispered out loud enough for both of them to hear. A suppressed laugh came from the back seat and Thalia whipped round to glare at Nico.

"Pleeeeease." she complained giving me puppy eyes as we stopped at a traffic light.

"Alright, we're going to have to take it in shifts anyway." I supplied earning a smile from my cousin's direction. We followed for a little while longer driving through the city until we arrived at our destination.

We found a parking space near the park and pulled over. As I pulled the key out of the ignition my stomach rumbled.

"I agree. Let's get some food." Thalia said opening her door. Nico hopped out of the back and I got out locking the car behind us. We walked for a few minutes till we found a café. We sat down on a small table outside. I took a breath of fresh air. The drive had taken quite a toll on me and I was starting to develop a headache.

A waitress appeared next to the table and gave us a smile. She was around 18 or 19 years old. She had blonde hair and brown eyes. She was pretty but had quite a lot of makeup on and reminded me a lot of Aphrodite. She was wearing a sleeveless top and a short pair of shorts.

"What can I get for you three?" she asked, pulling a pad and pen out. We ordered a sandwich each and a few drinks. She left with a wink in my direction. I ignored her instead turning to look at Thalia who was frowning in the waitress's direction.

We ate our lunch with some small talk and after we finished Nico brought up the park.

"So did the Nereid say anything about who we were meeting?" he asked looking at me. I shook my head taking a slurp of my drink.

"So, we don't know who or what 'he' is? I think we should be prepared in case we need to fight." he said. Thalia absentmindedly started playing with her bracelet Aegis. I fiddled with cross-current on my finger. I hadn't used it much since I had received it, a few times at the most. To be honest the blade scared me. Even though it was mine, it didn't feel like it was.

The waitress came back over and I paid for our meal. We got up and left walking to some lights to cross over to the park.

We cautiously entered the park, looking around. It was about a third the size of Central Park in New York. It was mostly covered in trees and there was a large lake taking up one corner.

We walked around for a few minutes, following the trails but didn't come across anything. So instead we turned off of the trail walking into the trees. We walked until the trail was out of sight stopping to have a look around.

"So do you reckon..." Nico started before I was tackled to the ground by something. I heard Aegis spin out on Thalia's arm and I assume Nico had armed himself as well. I elbowed whatever was on top of me in the gut before rolling it onto its back, myself on top. Riptide was out in an instant and at the things throat.

"GROVER!" I shouted out falling back off him in surprise.

"PERCYYY!" he bleated out climbing back up and dragging me into a hug. I was shocked at first but returned the hug tenfold, a hug that would have made Tyson proud.

Grover eventually broke the hug turning and giving one to Thalia, with a smile. As he was, I got a chance to look at my oldest friend. He had grown a little, his horns were now out for show sticking through his scraggily hair. He had a full-on goatee now and his acne had nearly faded. He was wearing a brown jacket, wearing nothing on his lower half.

He turned to Nico ignoring any protests and swooped him up in a hug. Nico eventually relented and hugged him back.

"What are you guys doing here!?" he exclaimed eyes full of mirth a cheesy grin on his face.

"We're on a quest from Olympus." I replied looking at Thalia and Nico. "Bessie was taken from Olympus, we're tracking her down. So far we have 'West'." I said. Grover's smile faltered, his face taking up a concerned expression.

"That's not good." he said frowning and starting to scratch his goatee.

"Actually, Grover we could use your help." I started. He looked up at me in response nodding for me to continue.

"I spoke to Nerea the Nereid in Lake St Clair. She told me there was somebody here who'd be able to help us in the right direction." I finished looking at him as a smile began to break out on his face.

"What is so funny?" I asked as he just stared at me.

"Sure, I'd be able to help, let me go gather some things." he said turning and walking into the trees. I looked over to Thalia and Nico who didn't look as surprised as I was. Thalia started to follow, Nico after and me at the back.

"So, the Nereid was speaking about you?" Thalia asked from up ahead. Grover spared her a glance before continuing on

"Yeah, you remember when Bessie and I left you Percy and Zoé in San Francisco on our quest for Artemis?" he said stopping at a tree and knocking three times on the trunk.

"We jumped around a few times before we ended up on the East coast. One of the places we surfaced was Lake St Clair." he said turning to look at us. The leaves above him shook and a bag fell out from the tree smacking Grover on the head on the way down.

"Ouch." he whined rubbing his head, looking up at the tree.

"Anyway, I met Nerea and she helped me in the right direction, I think she could communicate with Bessie, and got us to the coast." he said picking his bag up and walking us out of the woods and back onto one of the trails. We followed him for a while more until we ended up near the other side of the park at the small lake.

He bent down and stuck his face in the water and began blowing bubbles. I looked over at Thalia who looked just as confused as I felt. Grover pulled his face out the water, and then stuck his finger in his mouth. Pulling it out he stuck it up in the air and then began sniffing.

"Well West is right. From what I can gather Bessie is over near the West coast. Seattle maybe? It's hard to tell, I need to get closer." he said looking between us ignoring the odd looks we were giving him.

"So are we flying or...?" he asked which seemed to snap me out of my stupor.

"NO!" I shouted out quickly, gulping. I wasn't comfortable flying, I never had been and I knew Thalia wasn't that comfortable with heights either.

"Where's the car then?" he asked walking us towards the edge of the park. We exited onto the side walk and I pointed down the road toward the red pickup.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" he asked with a grin.

I'm sure I would feel Thalia's wrath at some point. She was sat in the back of the car next to me with a frown. I had tossed Nico the keys out of pure instinct, and Grover had called shotgun.

"So, Seattle?" Nico asked looking down at the SATNAV.

"Head north and then round Lake Superior. Seattle is a guess." Grover responded with a glance at the map.

With that Nico, pulled out of the space and joined the road. Following the road to the highway and driving North.

Nico drove for a few hours along the highway. We listened to some jazz music as per Grover's request. I kept trying to get Thalia's attention, but apparently, she was pissed that she didn't get to drive.

We turned off the highway onto a smaller road. The sky above us beginning to darken as night set in.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it." Grover said from in front of me. He had been explaining where he was during the second Giant war. Apparently, many nature spirits had wanted to rise up in defense of their 'mother' and Grover had been working round the clock to quell any uprisings.

"I came back to camp after Gaia was defeated but you guys weren't there. I was able to break Junipers life line though, and now she is able to come with me anywhere." He said turning back to me with a smile.

"I'm so happy for you man." I responded with my own grin. For just a moment I saw something in his eyes, an unspoken pain. His eyes dropped slightly before he smiled again, turning back to the front.

I looked over at Thalia. She had fallen asleep a while ago and was snoozing quietly her head resting on her shoulder. I smiled at her unconscious form.

Suddenly a blue flashing light filled up the car. I turned and looked behind us and saw a police car matching our speed.

"Is that for us?" I asked Nico, who shrugged and eased off the gas, hitting the indicator. The police car didn't pass, and slowed down with us. I gently shook Thalia awake nodding in the direction of the police car. She sat further up rubbing her eyes.

"What did you do Nico? I told you I should have driven." she said with a smirk.

Nico slowed to a stop, pulled the handbrake and turned the car off. I looked around out the windows as the police car pulled to a stop a few meters behind us. We were on a dark road that was elevated off the floor. There was a small incline on either side of the road that led down to forest on either side. The woods on either side were pitch black and a thick mist was setting in.

The cop knocked on the window. Nico rolled down the window and smiled at the officer. He was tall and had short black hair under a hat. He had kind eyes and a smile on his face. He was wearing a black uniform under a black stab vest. A handgun was strapped to his side.

"What seems to be the problem, Officer?" Nico asked. I cracked a grin at the cliché line.

"Can I see your license and registration, please?" he asked kindly. Nico nodded and pulled a black driver's license out of his pocket that had white writing and a picture of him on. The Officer raised an eyebrow at him as he took it.

"Wait here a moment." he said before turning and walking back to his car.

We sat in silence for a few minutes waiting for him to return. I turned and looked out the back window, but couldn't see past the glare of his headlights.

Another few minutes passed before I spoke up.

"What do you think he's doing?" I asked curiously looking at the others. None of them answered. I was unnerved, something seemed very off.

A car rounded a bend ahead of us driving in our direction. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up on end as I watched the car slowly driving towards us. My stomach twisted in an unsettling fashion as I turned to look at Thalia who was also squinting at the car heading our way. Something definitely felt off.

I let out a sigh as it drove past.

 _BOOM!_

I opened my eyes, my ears ringing my vision was blurry but from what I could make out everything looked wrong. Upside down. I put my hand up to my head feeling a warm sticky liquid on my forehead. I blinked away he stars in my eyes as everything cleared up.

Our car was upside-down, down the embankment. I looked over at Thalia. She was slumped hanging from her seat. Grover was in a somewhat similar position. Nico was on the floor, or roof of the car, face down.

"Ughh." I choked out, some blood dripping from my lips down onto the roof of the car. I reached up and unbuckled my belt, slamming down with a crash.

My body hitting the floor seemed to wake Nico up who groaned. Ichor dripping out of a cut on his cheek.

"Nico." I spluttered out in between coughs, touching his shoulder. He seemed to respond, sitting up and turning towards Grover. I turned to Thalia shaking her. There was no response. Panic began to rise as I stuck two fingers against the side of her neck.

"Thank the Gods." I whispered out feeling a pulse. I pulled her hanging body into an embrace and pressed the buckle. She dropped out of her seat and crashed into me, sending us both to the floor.

I looked over at Grover who was awake now and seemed relatively unscathed.

"What the fuck just happened." I questioned looking around. Thalia's door was slammed against the side of a tree. I turned and tried mine but had no success. It was wedged against the mud.

Nico grimaced at me before turning towards his door. With some added godly strength his door flew off its hinge impaling into the side of the hill. Grover tried his and it opened. The two clambered out Nico drawing his sword and walking round to Grover's side.

I rolled Thalia onto her back and put my arms under hers linking them just under her breasts.

"Sorry Thalia." I whispered out before putting pressure against them and dragging her towards the front of the car. Grover helped me get Thalia out of the car, while Nico stood looking around, his black armour already coating his body, sword in hand.

My hands were covered in cuts thanks to broken glass, but I ignored the pain throwing our bags out the side of the car before clambering out the car.

Grover had sat Thalia up against a tree and was pouring some nectar on her head wound. It was much worse now that I got a good look at it. Thankfully the nectar seemed to work as the wound stopped bleeding and close up slightly.

A flash of lightning lit the sky up, followed by a rumble of thunder. Rain began pouring from the sky.

I moved and sat next to Grover and summoned some of the water to my hand. I coated my hands with the water before applying them to her head wound. A soft orange glow emanated from under my hands as the water flowed over the wound.

When I removed my hands, the wound was much smaller than before. Grover looked at me with wide eyes but was drawn back when Thalia's eyes fluttered open.

"Perce... what... what happened?" she asked her eyes having trouble focusing on me.

"I don't know Thals." I said standing up, apparently too quickly as I fell back down on my ass feeling nauseous. Some blood dribbled down into my eyes.

I turned to look at Nico. He was stood in the same spot, except his face was an ashen white colour he was staring out into the pitch-black woods. A sudden chill shot down my spine and I turned to look in the direction he was.

"We need to move." I felt my lips say my eyes still fixated on the woods in front of us. Grover was the first one to his feet grabbing our bags and pulling Nico back towards the hill. I helped Thalia up to her feet. She stumbled a bit before we all quickly climbed up back to the road.

"Holy fuck..." Thalia voiced looking at the burning wreck in front of us. The car looked to have been a 4 door of some kind. The whole car was engulfed in flames. There was nobody in the driver's seat thankfully, but it didn't help the terror I was feeling.

The only light was from the burning vehicle and the police car that was sat a ways back, the lights still flashing. Other than that, it was nearly pitch black, no moon or stars were out.

I felt another shiver down my spine, like something was standing behind me. I whirled around accidently knocking Thalia off balance who was still using me as support.

There was nothing there, but I felt as if there had been. It was still raining, and seemed to have gotten a little heavier. I reached out with my senses into the forest.

There was a patch maybe 40 or 50 feet into the tree line that wasn't natural. The rain seemed to be avoiding it, scooting around it. Suddenly the patch moved a few feet forward before it stopped again. I turned to look at Nico who was staring in the exact same direction, Riptide appearing in my hand.

"Do you feel that?" I hissed out, my lower lip starting to tremble. For the first time Nico drew his eyes away from the forest to look at me. His eyes showed nothing but fear. He looked like he was shaking. He then turned towards Grover and pointed at the police car, before taking his sword in both hands.

Grover understood the silent message and took off in the direction of the car. Thalia had slumped to the ground without me supporting her. She was holding her head in her right hand and wincing in pain.

My head snapped back to the forest as I felt it move again, another few feet closer. Whatever this was it wasn't natural and had Nico and I pretty shaken. Then it moved again a little closer. I heard the police car roll to a stop next to us and Grover hop out helping Thalia to her feet, but I didn't dare look.

I made a split-second decision and capped Riptide, turning the ring on my left hand. Cross current formed in my hand.

I felt the presence falter and stop suddenly before inching just a little closer. I heard Grover call my name and I dared a look. Thalia was in the back seat and looked to be unconscious both of the doors closest to us were open and Grover was sat in the driver's seat waving at us.

I grabbed Nico by the shoulder and dragged him away from the edge of the road towards the car. He seemed to snap out of whatever it was and climbed into the passenger seat. I dove into the back seat slamming the door behind me.

Grover didn't even wait and stepped on it tearing off down the street. As we rounded the corner and sped off down the road, I felt an immense pressure release from on top of me. I didn't even have time to think as I threw up onto the floor between my legs.

Nico wasn't faring much better, he was still a pale colour and he had his eyes fixated on the rear-view mirror, looking out the back of the car.

After a few minutes Thalia roused from her sleep. She stretched out from her position her head landing in my lap. Her electric blue eyes stared up into mine for a few minutes before she mimed out

 _What the fuck!?_

I shook my head in response not understanding what had just happened either. She let out a heavy sigh, wincing in pain as we went over a bump. I framed her face with my hands and watched as the wound began to heal even more. Her eyes didn't leave mine as I worked. I felt sweat begin to break out on my face and a wave of nausea over took forcing me to stop.

Thalia took my hand in hers and gave it a squeeze smiling a reassuring smile at me. My head slumped back and I felt my eyes fighting me to close them.

After another half an hour or so lights came into view ahead. Grover pulled the car to a stop just off the side of the road before turning to look at everyone in the car. His eyes looked heavy.

"We should get indoors." he announced, before opening his door. Nico opened his and got out still watching the road we had just come down. Thalia sat up from my lap before helping me get the bags out of the car. The rain had lessened to just a dribble.

Together we walked into the small town. On the corner of an intersection was a motel and we made a beeline straight there. I let the rain soak through me a little not wanting to raise any suspicions.

We walked in the door and up to the front desk. A man was sat behind the desk. He had short blonde hair and a scruffy blonde beard. He gave me a frown as he looked over at the cut that was leaking blood down my face.

"You alright, son?" he asked standing up, his face etched with concern.

"Yeah, tripped and hit my head. I'm so clumsy, should be okay though." I responded weakly.

"Are you sure it looks quite bad." he said reaching for the phone on his desk.

"Honestly sir, it's not a big cut, it just looks bad because of the blood." I replied forcing a smile at him. He gave a nod before turning to the others.

"Just a room for the night." Grover said, a hat appearing out of nowhere on his head.

"Sure, we have one spare, it only has two doubles though, I hope that isn't a problem?" he said writing something down on a pad.

"That shouldn't be a problem." Grover said plainly. He pulled a roll of cash out of one of our bags plopping it down on the desk.

"Uh, sorry sir... this is American Currency." he said looking at Grover. I heard a quiet _snap_ sound. Grover frowned at the man before looking down at the money.

"I'm sorry sir, what do you mean?" Grover questioned. The man followed his gaze and his face morphed into one of utter confusion. The money which had definitely been US Dollars just a second before was now a roll of Canadian Dollars.

The man said nothing, instead looking between the money and us a few times. His eyes then raised to stare at Grover for a few moments. You could have heard a pin drop.

Eventually the man relented.

"I must be losing my mind." he sighed out before unrolling the money and taking some handing the rest back to Grover.

The man then grabbed a keycard and swiped it through a machine before handing it to us.

"Room 12, Enjoy your stay." he said slightly shaking his head.

We quickly grabbed our bags and made our way to our room. Grover swiped the card and the door clicked open. It was quite a nice room. There were two Queen beds against one wall with a night stand separating them. They had white quilt covers and big feather pillows. On the other wall was a stand with a TV and a remote. Next to the TV stand was a small table with four chairs around it. Just in the entrance was a doorway that lead to a bathroom with a toilet, sink and shower. Finally, on the opposite wall was a large window, that head the curtains drawn halfway.

I threw my bag down to the floor before slumping down into a chair. Nico took the chair next to me, putting his own bag on the floor. Grover placed his bag down before flopping onto one of the beds. Thalia mirrored his action on the other bed.

Nico rummaged through his bag, coming out with some ambrosia and nectar. He grabbed some tissue before helping to clean the cut on my head. I quietly chewed on the ambrosia as he wiped the excess blood up and poured some of the godly liquid on the cut.

He sat back down with a sigh. Before looking around the room.

"We need to come to a decision..." He said. Grover sat up whilst Thalia tilted her head in his direction.

"I'm not afraid of the dark, in fact I relish its presence. But whatever _that_ was scared me. After what we discussed on the train, I don't think we should travel at night." he concluded looking between us.

"I agree." I said turning to look at Thalia. She didn't respond, instead nodding to agree.

"Wait, what exactly did you speak about?" Grover asked shuffling forward slightly. I looked at Nico and Thalia mentally face palming. He had no idea that this may be the beginnings of the Prophecy.

"Grover, when Zeus issued us this quest, he said he feared it was the beginning of the next Great Prophecy." I confessed out. "When we were travelling from New York on the train we went over the prophecy and we think we might have figured out who we're up against."

"Who?" was his response. I heard Nico's breath hitch. Thalia was still laying back staring up at the celling.

"Darkness and Night." I whispered out, not wanting to say their names. In that moment I saw Grover's face fall.

" _Di_ immortales." Grover whispered out. Putting his head in his hands.

"If that is the case, I agree as well then, travel only during the day." he said, not looking up. We sat for a few minutes in a quite depression before Thalia stood grabbing her bag and walking towards the bathroom.

"I'm going for a shower." she announced before closing the door and locking it behind her.

Nico kicked off his boots before sitting on the bed next to Grover and leaning back against the pillows. He raised his hand and the remote flew across the room into it. He switched the TV on and began flicking through channels.

After a minute or so Grover leaned back next to him and gave me a sad smile.

"Can I hear the prophecy?" he asked looking between us two. Nico hit the mute button before reciting the lines of the prophecy to him.

"You're never gonna catch a break, Perce." Grover said with a small laugh, shaking his head.

"I'm starting to think the same thing, bud." I responded watching the flashing images on the TV, but not really taking in what was being shown.

After a while the bathroom door clicked and Thalia emerged. Her hair was slightly wet and hanging off the side of her head over her shoulder. Her silver huntress circlet had moved from the top of her head to her hands. She had a splash of freckles across her face, and her blue eyes seemed to glow. She was wearing a baggy Green Day t-shirt that hung off of one shoulder and a pair of short shorts revealing a pair of pale long legs.

"See something you like, Kelp Head?" Thalia asked with a suppressed laugh. I gave grunted response standing and walking over to the bathroom with my own bag. I locked the door behind me and got undressed and turned the shower on. I felt my muscles relax as the hot water cascaded over my shoulders and down my back.

I mulled over the words of the Prophecy as I traced my fingers over scars on my body. I traced my fingers over a large scar trailing from shoulder down to my mid bicep. An image of a crazed Goddess with stringy hair and sunken eyes flashing through my mind.

I let out a sigh and turned the water off, stepping out and willing myself to dry up. I put on a pair of sleeping shorts and walked out of the room. Nico was still sat watching TV, whilst Grover was curled up already asleep. Nico's eyes followed me as I crossed the room, but he said nothing, instead watching intently.

Thalia was sat on the edge of the bed with her back to me. She was running a comb through her hair, but turned when she heard me. Her eyes widened and I saw them move from my face down my body before returning to my face. She scowled at me but didn't say anything. Nico switched the TV off and went into the bathroom with his bag.

I grabbed the pillow off the bed after setting my bag down and threw it onto an empty space of floor. Thalia watched me for a few more seconds before she spoke up.

"It's okay Percy, I'm not going to make you sleep on the floor." she said putting the comb down before climbing into the bed.

"Are you sure?" I asked eyeing her for a few seconds.

"I don't want to end up as an animal." I said looking down at my body before looking up at her.

"I'm sure." she said with a certainty before sitting back into the pillows. I scratched my head before relenting and joining her in the bed. It was... snug. I felt my cheeks burning a shade of crimson being in such close proximity to her and accidently brushing her every now and again.

I sat back into the bed and let out a sigh.

 **A/N: I'd first like to say Sorry. To those of you who have PMed me or left a review and never received a response, to those of you asking for an update or if this story is going to be continued and not hearing anything. I'm not gonna try and excuse myself, it's been a long time since I updated. I just want you to know that this story is not dead, it never will be. I went through a patch of not writing at all and not having any motivation until recently and for that I apologize. I am going to try and update more often as I seem to have gotten the spark back.**

 **I also wanted to say Thank you for bearing with me.**

 **Now to the story, I spent a large amount of time combing through each of the previous chapters and editing. I fixed (To my knowledge) all of the grammatical errors.**

 **I also changed some plot points and fixed a few plot holes. Nothing too Major and nothing that should change the story significantly. Them being: Lupa and Octavian they are now both actually addressed. As well as Lily's disappearing act after she is found in NYC. Other than that, I changed the scene with Gration and Percy, completely removing the ice powers as it didn't feel right.**

 **The story is the same, with maybe a few more fleshed out scenes, nothing serious.**

 **Thank you, xoxo**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

I opened my eyes to the morning light. Rays of sunshine breaking through the gap in the curtains. It was getting to the time of year where the mornings were cold enough for a coat, but during the middle of the day you'd be back to a t-shirt.

It was really warm under the covers and I didn't want to move. A slight pressure on my right side made me turn my head slightly.

Thalia was still asleep and had her back pressed up against me, most likely for warmth. The close proximity making me ever more nervous in the case that her mistress might be watching.

A rustling noise drew my attention away from the huntress. Nico had stood up and walked over to the bathroom, quietly shutting the door behind him.

I took that as my cue and got up out of the bed and walked over to my bag. I put on a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. I was just zipping up a blue hoodie as Nico emerged with a yawn.

"What's for breakfast?" he asked taking one of the chairs. I gave a shrug as a response walking over and sitting next to him.

A muffled "Pancakes." came from across the room. I snapped my fingers and a plate with a large pile of pancakes on burnt into existence. Nico snapped his fingers and 4 plates and some knives and forks appeared. It was annoying that I could summon food, but I couldn't create plates to eat it on. Thankfully I had Nico for that. My personal plate maker. Nico frowned at me as if he'd just read my mind.

At the smell of pancakes Grover shot up from the bed. He swung his legs out and had trotted over to the table before I could even blink. Thalia was the last to join us at the table, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

As we were eating Grover picked up the TV remote and switched it on, quickly flicking through channels.

"Wait, go back." Nico called out, his brows furrowing. I gave him a curious look before turning to look at the screen. Grover went back a couple of channels until he stopped on a news report showing a charred black car. The camera angle changed to an upside-down red pickup at the side of an embankment.

"- It is still unclear as to what caused the explosion. The vehicle was discovered at just after 4 O'clock this morning with no trace of either vehicle's occupants. This truly is a mystery. Police are urging anyone with information to come forward. That's all, back to you John."

I had suddenly lost my appetite for pancakes. The reminder of whatever that _thing_ was made my stomach twist in an unsavory way. Apparently, the feeling was mutual around the table as nobody touched anymore food.

Nico snapped his fingers removing all the food before he grabbed his boots and started putting them on. I mirrored his action grabbing my own.

"I think we should contact Olympus, give them an update." I suggested as we made our way back to the front desk. The others all nodded in agreement

Grover handed the room key to a lady behind the counter as we left the motel. I reached out with my senses feeling a small stream in the woods just behind the building. I led the way out and round the side of the parking lot into the woods.

As we walked up to the stream, I rose my hand and a spray of fine mist shot out into the air. In a few seconds a small rainbow had formed.

"Oh Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering." Thalia said stepping forward and flicking a golden drachma into the rainbow. "Show me Lady Artemis."

A few seconds later an image of a silver eyed goddess came into view.

"My Lady?" Thalia called out drawing the Goddess's attention. The image then widened to reveal Athena stood next to Artemis in full battle regalia, Ichor splattered across her helmet.

"Thalia, how goes the quest, are you on the Ophiotaurus's trail?" Artemis asked, not even acknowledging the rest of us.

"Yes, My Lady. Grover has joined our quest and has us on the right path." Thalia responded turning to Grover.

"That is good news." Artemis said with a smile, before her face turned to a frown.

"What seems to be troubling you, lieutenant?" she asked with genuine concern. Nico stepped forward next to Thalia.

"We've run into a bit of trouble My Lady. No monsters as of yet, but there was... something." Nico said with an intensity. He then went onto explain what had happened last night, with the mysterious entity nearly bringing the group to its knees.

At the mention of 'it' Athena adopted a somewhat concerned look, her eyes glazed over slightly as if she was deep in thought.

"We were wondering if you may know what it was, and more importantly, if it will be back?" He asked directing his question to Athena. She shook her head in response.

"Nothing I have heard of. However, I will investigate as this does not bode well." She said shaking her head slightly.

"My Lady there is something... else." Thalia said speaking up. She looked around at the rest of us before continuing.

"We may have worked out who the enemy is." Athena raised an eyebrow at her but didn't speak.

"The lines of the Great prophecy, The Darkness, The Eternal Night." Thalia whispered out. I felt a cool breeze crawl down my spine at the mention making me shudder.

"Ah, my thoughts as well. Though the idea has been shot down by the council. In my opinion it makes the only logical sense. However, neither Erebus nor Nyx have ever been even so much as detected. There is no divine signature in their domains, and no God, Titan or Giant has ever seen or so much as felt their presence. I had spoken with father on the matter many times since the prophecy was issued, and have done as much research as possible. But that's just it, we have nothing, there is nothing. Other than their names, they don't exist." Athena finished with a sigh.

"So, that's a good thing?" I asked looking around at the others. "Maybe it isn't that bad."

"Unfortunately, not, Perseus. As they are our best and only lead. The trail is a dead end. We don't know whom or what is opposing us, which could prove to be much deadlier." Athena said seriously.

"Oh." I mumbled out feeling even worse about the situation.

"Sister, we must go." Artemis said from Athena's side nodding to something out of view behind her.

"Yes, yes. Keep us updated on your progress and good luck." Athena called out before the IM fizzled out.

"I've got a bad feeling about this quest." Nico mumbled out to nobody in particular. I nodded in agreement. Something felt unusually off, and that was saying something.

The mist had since faded and I was forced to pull up some more water to create a new rainbow. I made another prayer to Iris and flicked one of my own drachmas into the rainbow.

"Show me Camp Half Blood." I called out. A few seconds passed before an image of the arena came into view. Bruce and Ethan were stood in front of about 20 campers and were in the middle of giving a demo.

"Bruce, Ethan!" I yelled out startling them both. They looked around wildly for a few seconds before they noticed my floating image.

"Oh, Percy. Take a quick break guys, come back in 5 minutes." Ethan called out to the group of campers before turning back to me.

"How is everyone? What's going on?" I asked seeing other training sessions taking place in the background.

"Everyone is okay, Lady Hestia visited the morning after you disappeared, she explained you had been issued a quest from Olympus and Nico has gone with you. She's given us instructions to help Chiron wherever necessary." he explained turning to Bruce. I sent a silent prayer of thanks to Hestia.

"The whole camp is up in arms; all regular activities have stopped and training is on overtime. What is going on?" Bruce continued a concerned look on his face.

"The council fears the Great Prophecy is beginning. They are preparing for war." I answered plainly.

"Oh." was his response.

"As long as you guys are okay. I don't know how long we will be gone. Keep up the good work, and if you need anything IM me." I finished earning some nods from them.

"Good luck, Percy." Ethan called out before swiping his hand through the IM. I felt bad leaving them without any word. Thankfully Hestia had my back.

"You really are your mother's son" Thalia commented with a laugh. I shook my head in response, but couldn't wipe the smile off of my face.

"So, what now?" Grover asked, leaning against a tree.

"We can't take the police car, maybe look around for another rental place?" I suggested. They all nodded in agreement.

We set off from the stream and back into the little town. We looped they entire place in around 20 minutes. There were no trains, no buses and no car rentals.

"We could walk." Thalia suggested looking down the road. I looked over to Nico who shook his head.

"We can't, time is not on our side. We need to find the Ophiotaurus as fast as possible. I don't like the idea but we need to steal a car." he supplied looking at a 4-door Volvo a few feet away.

"They have insurance, if we can return it, we will." he offered looking around at our faces. I shrugged in response. Nico walked over to the car, put his hand against the door and opened it as if it wasn't locked.

"Okay, if we're doing this, I get to drive." Thalia said walking over and nudging Nico out the way. She hopped into the driver's seat and leant under the wheel. Grover Nico and I all looked between each other before all shouting "SHOTGUN!" in unison.

We continued our journey West, myself with a massive smirk as I was able to get to the door first. Thalia drove us for a little over 4 hours before we stopped for lunch. We decided to eat in the car, not bothering to find a café or restaurant. I had summoned up some sandwiches for the group and we'd picked up some drinks from a gas station, when we needed to stop.

An IM shimmered into existence on the dash making me jump. Artemis was stood in a light weight armour bow in hand. The floor around her was littered in golden dust and splatters of ichor. Athena was in the background impaling a lone cyclops on her spear.

"Thalia?" she shouted out doing a quick once over of the car.

"Yes, My Lady?" she asked sitting up from her slouched position, concern mirroring her face.

"The Titan, Perses, has been sighted. We engaged him and a large band of monsters but he managed to escape. Reports from our allies across the country inform us of monster appearing by the hundreds." she explained giving a quick glance in Athena's direction as she approached.

"You must be careful. We don't know if any other Titans are free or if there is anything worse." Artemis finished staring intently at her lieutenant.

"Yes, My Lady." Thalia answered before the IM fizzled out. She looked around the car, a concerned look on her face. At this point there was almost no arguing it. Monsters, escaped Titans, Zeus was right. I had been holding out hope for so long that this wasn't the next great prophecy.

Thalia switched places with me and we set off again, a more somber mood in the car. I got us around Lake Superior by the time early evening had set in and we decided to pull over. We stopped in Thunder Bay, a city at the edge of Lake Superior. We found a hotel near the edge of the city and got a room for the night, dumping our bags, before we agreed to head out for dinner. We ate at a restaurant called Masala Grille it had a comfy setting and served a mixture of Indian and Thai food. I ate a healthy portion of noodles. Chatter at dinner was lighthearted, almost like we were 4 regular teenagers. We paid and left myself feeling better than when I had walked into the restaurant. Food had an amazing way of doing that.

As we were walking back, behind me Nico was talking to Grover about what it was like being a God, but I wasn't so interested having the conversation a few times with Nico before. Thalia was just in front of me. I was looking at the back of her head as we were walking, something seemed off about her, though I couldn't put my finger on it. I looked down at her boots, then back up at her head. Feeling a frown appear on my face.

I stopped for a second falling in line with Nico and Grover. They both stopped their conversation to look at me.

"Does something seem off about Thalia?" I whispered out, not wanting her to hear. They both gave me a funny look before turning to look at her.

"Are you feeling alright, Perce?" Grover asked a grin stretching across his face. He turned to look at Nico who was still watching her. Nico cocked his head to the side before looking up and down.

"Is she taller?" Nico blurted out, his eyes widening. Grover's smirk disappeared and he turned back looking her up and down. That was it, it wasn't obvious, but definitely noticeable. Thalia seemed to have grown nearly an inch overnight.

"I knew I wasn't crazy." I remarked staring at the top of her head.

"What are you guys looking at?" She asked having noticed us all staring at her. She looked around, before looking above her head.

"Is there something in my hair?" she asked swatting at the top of her head. Nico let out a small laugh before walking up and standing next to her. Nico was shorter than Thalia, but only just, but now there was a pronounced difference. He raised an eyebrow before turning and looking back at us, which prompted Grover to just burst out laughing.

"What is going on?" Thalia asked a confused frown appearing on her face. That really was odd.

"Thalia, look at me." Nico said standing right in front of her. "What do you see?" he asked. Giving her a pointed look.

She looked over to me as if it was a trick question. I couldn't hold back the laugh that escaped my lips. She frowned before looking back at Nico.

"Notice anything different?" He asked making a gesture with his hands at the difference in height. Thalia's eyes widened.

"Are you shorter?" she asked looking him up and down making him facepalm.

"No, Thalia, you're taller. Percy come here." I walked over to them followed by Grover. I stood next to Nico. She looked down at her legs before looking up at me. Her eyes glazed over and her mind was whirring trying to figure out what was going on.

She opened her mouth as if she were going to say something but stopped, instead looking between us.

"What the..." she finally relented scratching her head.

"I don't know either Thals." I replied with a laugh "We just noticed it." I said gesturing to the others.

We continued back to the hotel, waving to the man who checked us in before heading to our room. The room was not so dissimilar to the room we had stayed in the previous night. The room however was on the ground floor and had two singles and one double.

Thalia and Nico got the two singles whilst I crashed on the double with Grover. We sat up chatting for a while, before getting some sleep.

I opened my eyes and I was in a forest, there were dark storm clouds in the sky above. It was daytime, though I couldn't tell what time it was because of the density of the clouds. I felt a tingle run down my spine. I turned to find myself a few feet from a clearing.

I felt my breath hitch. There was a horde of monsters all facing towards a central mound. On top of the mound was a large rectangular alter made of dark grey stone. Along the sides were symbols and runes that I had never seen before. I felt a pull towards it, my feet moving as much as my mind tried to resist. Apparently, I was made of nothing as I walked through the monsters as if they weren't there.

I stopped at the base of the mound at the front of the horde of monsters. There was a figure stood in front of the alter he was draped in a brown robe with the hood up and he had his back to me. He was stood with his arms wide head raised towards the sky. There were 6 large figures stood to the side who were obviously immortals of some kind.

The largest of them was stood tall in bloodied armour. He had tanned skin and short black hair. His eyes were a raging inferno of fire. He had sharp features that were twisted into a scowl.

Next to him was a similar looking being. He was wearing similar armour and had short black hair. His features were similar to the first. His eyes were a red colour, cold and calculating. He seemed to be impassive about the scene before him.

The middle two were female. The first was dressed in a red chiton with only a single shoulder strap. She had long, straight, raven black hair that was set neatly behind her head. Her eyes were a golden colour.

Next to her was a woman dressed in a black dress with a black hat and a veil obscuring her face. Her curly dark red hair was tumbling around her head.

Next along the line was a large man. He was wearing a silver coloured armour. His short curly hair was a grey/white colour. He had familiar features though I couldn't quite place them.

Finally, was a being with pure black skin, and black armour. His head was shaped like the skull of demon black horns protruding from the top of his head. His eyes were glowing red and left little trails of smoke when he turned his head. I felt my lower lip begin to tremble as I looked at him.

A large explosion of black lightning tore from the sky crashing into the alter releasing a shockwave of power. The explosion threw many of the monsters to the floor.

The alter had been cracked in two and a black mist was seeping from it. All the monsters began roaring in approval of whatever was happening.

I felt an audible gulp escape my lips, and when it did the demon creature's eyes snapped towards me. He stepped down from his position near the alter backhanding an empousia out of the way and striding straight towards me. I felt myself begin to shake as the thing approached, towering over me.

"PERCY!?"

My eyes snapped open. I was laying on the bed. Grover and Nico were hovering over me concerned looks on their faces. That's when I noticed I was covered in sweat. I could still feel my lower lip trembling.

"Percy, are you okay? You just started shaking." Grover asked helping me sit up. Thalia was stood at the foot of the bed also looking on. I wiped the sweat off my head before looking between the three.

"Bad dream..." I managed to stutter out, my mind still spinning. Grover gave me a look of pity, while Nico just sighed.

"What happened?" Thalia murmured out sitting on the foot of the bed.

"I was in a forest and there was this alter. Some sort of ritual was being performed, there were monsters and Gods or Titans of some kind, I'm not sure." I stated looking down at the floor. "One of them saw me and almost got to me." I whispered out seeing the glowing red eyes flash across my mind. I shuddered at the thought.

Some commotion out the front of the hotel drew our attention. Nico frowned and walked over to the window. He moved the curtains and peeked out. I stood up and walked over next to him. There were three police cars and a half a dozen officers. A couple were looking at our car and the others were talking to some of the hotel staff. One of the staff members made a few hand gestures before pointing at our window.

"We need to get out of here." Nico called out, quickly running to gather his stuff.

"What's going on?" Thalia asked, standing from the bed.

"No time." I yelled grabbing my own stuff, not bothering to get changed out of my sleepwear. Thalia and Grover quickly gathered their things and we were out of the room within half a minute. We followed Nico as he ran down the corridor towards a fire exit.

He opened the door and quickly ushered us out before taking off down the street towards the edge of the city. We kept the pace up till we made it to the edge of the city. I ran to a stop next to Nico and Thalia panting.

"So, what, now were wanted by the police?" Thalia yelled out exasperatedly. Nico nodded looking down the street the way we had come.

"We're never gonna catch a break." Thalia sighed out. I pulled some jeans out of my bag and quickly changed back into my street clothes.

"Grover, you said the Ophiotaurus was over on the West Coast, near Seattle, right?" I asked a plan forming in my mind. He nodded in response giving me a curious look.

"I think I know someone we may be able to ask for help." I said with a smile.

The Iris message shimmered into existence revealing a tall woman wearing a black jumpsuit, a golden belt hanging from her waist.

"Hylla!" I yelled out making the woman jump. She looked at us before a smile formed on her face.

"Perseus Jackson, to what do I owe the pleasure?" she asked.

"Hylla, it is good to see you. We need some help. We're on a quest and we're looking for the Ophiotaurus. Grover, says its over near Seattle. I was wondering if you might be able to help, send out some scouts to see if you can find anything." I pleaded. She raised an eyebrow before turning to something out of view. She turned back a few seconds later.

"I'm afraid I can't help. Olympus is recalling all forces. The Amazons are mobilizing, we're headed to Camp Jupiter with our full strength, I cannot spare any hands. The mythological world is in an uproar, something big is happening." she said dejectedly.

"Oh, well thanks anyway, Hylla." I called out. I was about to swipe my hand through the message when she called out to me.

"Wait, where are you?" she asked. I told her we were just outside Thunder Bay City. An iPad appeared in her hand and she tapped on it furiously for a few seconds.

"I may not be able to spare any hands, but there is a deserted warehouse near you. You can resupply there, take anything you need." She said turning the iPad around to show a map. There was a pin marked just outside the city.

"Thank you Hylla, maybe we'll see each other soon." I called out with a smile. She smiled back before giving a curt nod and swiping her hand through the message.

"I didn't know you were friends with the Queen of the Amazons." Thalia observed.

"She's Reyna's sister." I said with a shrug. Thalia gave me a pointed look. I explained that I'd met her during my quest to Alaska and we'd become friends, sort-of.

It was a short walk to the warehouse, we talked about what Hylla had said, claiming the Mythological world was in uproar and what it could mean. Olympus really was calling in all forces. We turned off the main road and down a dusty side road.

The warehouse soon came into view. It was large building made out of corrugated metal. There was a chain link fence surrounding the building with a gate on the road. The compound seemed deserted and it looked as if everyone had left in a rush. There were boxes and crates all over the place. Various items were strewn across the floor. There was a small silver 2-door parked out the front, other than that there seemed to be no life.

The main doors to the warehouse were slightly ajar which was disconcerting. I tugged on my necklace feeling my armour form around my body. Thalia made a tutting sound as she watched the armour appear on me, before she pulled a bow out of thin air. Nico's armour formed around him, his sword appearing in his hand. Grover pulled a pair of reed pipes out of his jacket pocket and made a face, comparing it to the rest of our weapons. I cracked a grin before turning my attention back to the warehouse.

I poked my head around the corner. It was dark inside, too dark to see clearly. I put some pressure on the door and opened it a little, before creeping in. My eyes adjusted to the light as I crept forward. There were large boxes and crates organized into rows. A loud bang came from the other side of the building making us all freeze in place. We weren't alone in here.

There was a stairway leading to an office on the other side of the building, the banging was coming from just underneath it. We snuck forward until voices came into range.

"I smell somethin." A deep, gruff voice called out.

"Ah, your nose is always wrong." another equally deep voice called out.

I peeked round the end of the row of crates. There were 6, 7, 8 cyclopes rummaging through crates, a pile of Celestial Bronze and Imperial Gold weapons in the middle of the group.

"Oooooh." One cyclops exclaimed before he pulled out what look like a Viking helmet and placed it on his giant head. It was far too small for him but apparently that didn't matter.

I turned to the others and stuck two fingers up indicating we take two each. They each silently nodded. Nico disappeared into a shadow, whilst an arrow appeared in Thalia's drawstring.

I crept as close as possible to a cyclops without getting spotted and waited for the mark.

The cyclops closest to me pulled out what looked like a make-up kit, with different powders and a mirror in. He dabbed his finger into one of the powders before rubbing it on one of his cheeks. I flicked the cap off of Riptide, readying myself for the fight.

The sudden flash of movement drew the cyclops's attention and his eye darted to me in the reflection. He made to turn and scream but never got the chance as a silver arrow burst through the back of his head.

I took that as the cue and took off straight towards the next cyclops, who had only just raised his head from his crate. I stabbed riptide through his knee before ripping it out and making a quick slash at his throat. He crumbled to dust.

The cyclops next to him turned to me ready to attack. He hefted a wooden club, before stopping as a silver arrow appeared in the side of his neck. He dropped the club, his hands moving up to his neck as he wailed in pain. I plunged Riptide into his stomach. The cyclops exploded, coating me in sulfurous dust.

Nico had dealt with the two cyclopes on the far side of the room and the two closest to the staircase were wrapped up in some green vines which were tightening around their bodies.

The final cyclops, the one with the little Viking helmet hefted his club and charged straight at me. He crumbled into dust after his second step. Arrows appearing in his torso. The two wrapped in vines soon disintegrated as well.

We stood at the ready for a few moments in case there were any more monsters lurking in the shadows. When none came, we reconvened in the center.

"Have I ever told you what a good shot you are?" I said to Thalia who only laughed in response, her bow disappearing.

"YOU!" A voice screamed out making me whirl around pointing Riptide in the direction of the voice.

A woman was hovering just above the ground. It was the same woman from my dream. With raven black hair and the red chiton. She was staring right at me her face contorted in anger. I was prepared for her to attack but she didn't.

She floated a to within a few feet baring down on me, her golden eyes filled with hate.

"Thousands of years of work, torn apart by some impudent demi-god." she yelled out waving her hands about. Her eyes never left me and she didn't even acknowledge the others.

"Uh, excuse me?" I questioned not entirely sure what she was talking about. My sword dropped down to my side and I looked at the others who were just as bewildered as I was. Her glare only harshened her golden eyes starting to glow.

"That's all you have to say?" she screamed out turning and floating back a few feet, muttering to herself.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked spinning back round to look at me. I studied her features for a second, but she didn't look like anyone I had met. I shook my head earning a scowl.

"I am Eris." she declared, spreading her arms wide. Eris, Goddess of discord.

"How did you get free?" Nico exclaimed, stepping forward. For the first time since she appeared Eris turned to one of the others. She narrowed her eyes at him, but didn't answer instead turning back to me.

"My greatest triumph, driving a wedge through the heart of Olympus and in a few short years you have repaired it. Brought unity to Olympus. This cannot continue, I cannot allow you to remain." she spat out through grit teeth. Nico stepped in front of me forcing Eris to look at him.

"You are coming with me Eris, I'm going to take you back to my father." Nico avowed his knuckles turning white around the hilt of his sword.

"Begone child of Hades, my quarrel is not with you. Why even protect this one?" she exclaimed pointing a finger at me "He is the reason your sister is dead." she growled out.

An inhumane snarl emanated from Nico. His sword was in motion within half a second. A small dagger appeared in the Goddess's hands and she deflected the strike. She didn't have time to even counter as another swipe came from Nico forcing the Goddess to land on the floor and back up.

Nico kept the pressure delivering monstrous swing after monstrous swing keeping the Goddess on the defensive. I was about to jump in and help, but it was clear Nico was the superior fighter and didn't need the assistance.

She clearly wasn't built for combat as she barely got a strike in and was barely keeping up with the onslaught of attacks Nico was delivering.

Eris jumped back to avoid a wide swing from Nico and then lunged forward trying to stab him. Nico's free hand shot up catching the Goddess by the wrist. She tugged against him but it was futile, he had an iron grip.

Nico slowly brought his sword up placing it against her throat. Eris gritted her teeth as she dropped the knife. Nico released her arm, keeping the sword at her neck.

"Nico, she was in my dream. She was part of that ritual and is working for the enemy." I called out. Eris's eyes widened and she scowled at me.

"We should bring her to Olympus, have her stand trial before the council." Nico said not taking his eyes off the Goddess.

"I will not be brought before Zeus to be executed like some common mortal. If you think I am leaving here with you, demi-god, you are surely mistaken." she snarled out to Nico before taking in a quick breath. Her skin started to turn a golden colour. I managed to shut my eyes just in time as a shockwave blasted me back into a wall.

The resulting explosion was quickly followed by a sickening _shhlck_ sound. I dared a look not feeling the intense divine presence in the room any longer.

Nico was stood over a headless corpse, ichor gushing from the neck. After a few seconds the body disintegrated into golden dust and began to blow away in a non-existent wind. He had a grimace stretched across his face and there was a splatter of ichor on his cheek. I sat up turning to look at Thalia and Grover. They were both okay thank the Gods. Grover's eyes were wide as he looked at the disappearing dust.

"You cut her fucking head off?" Thalia exclaimed in shock standing up. I winced as I stood hearing cracks in my back. Damn that had hurt.

"I couldn't let her kill you." Nico replied his face falling a little.

"I'm not complaining, that was fucking badass." Thalia retorted kicking the remains of the dust.

"Thanks." Nico mumbled out his sword disappearing from his hand.

"I don't think she knew you were a God. I think she expected that to kill you." Grover remarked looking at the golden dust as it slowly disappeared.

"I think we should get out of here, before anything else shows up." I suggested picking up a block of Ambrosia the size of my head. Thalia's mouth fell open looking at the giant block of godly food.

We quickly gathered up supplies, Grover ran up to the office overlooking the warehouse and found a set of car keys for the car outside. Nico, Thalia and I grabbed as many different supplies as we could, flasks of Nectar and the large block of Ambrosia, a few daggers from the pile of weapons, a large twelve pack of bottled water.

We decided to make our exit as quick as possible not wanting to run into anymore monsters or vengeful immortals.

Grover pushed the seat forward letting me and Thalia get in the back, whilst Nico got in the passenger seat.

We set off, not sparing a glance back at the warehouse as it faded into the distance.

 **A/N: A cookie for anyone who can correctly guess where the story is headed :P**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

It was still early when we left the Amazon compound. The car we were in was a serious downgrade from the past few we had had. It was a silver 2 door Volkswagen Golf. I wasn't going to complain though, the further away we got from that compound the better.

There was light conversation between Thalia and I as we continued west. Nico was mostly silent. He'd been pretty shaken up since the attack the other night, I don't blame him really. Whatever that thing was had scared all of us. It had brought us almost to our knees and it hadn't even revealed itself.

Grover drove us straight through the morning and into mid-afternoon. We didn't stop for lunch, all agreeing that we didn't have time for any distractions. Instead I summoned up some food for us. Along the way we passed a sign for Winnipeg. At that point I offered to switch with Grover who accepted and switched seat with me.

I drove us until the sun began to dip behind the horizon before pulling into a nearby motel. We'd driven quite a large distance in one day, just crossing into Saskatchewan before we stopped.

"Grover, could you do another nature, tracking spell thing? I want to make sure we're still on the right path." I asked locking the door of the car. He looked around for a moment before turning to me.

"Sure, come with me Perce. You two go get us a room." he said looking over at Nico and Thalia. They both nodded, turning and walking off towards the reception.

Grover led me away from the parking lot towards a small lake off the side of the road. The scenery had taken a drastic change over our drive. We'd gone from forest and hills to flat plains and dust, lots of dust.

Grover slid down the embankment stopping at the edge of the lake and falling to his knees. He pulled an acorn out of his pocket dipping it in the lake. I raised an eyebrow at him, he smiled before he plopped it into his mouth and began to chew. After a second or two he spat it out his eyes wide.

The acorn was scattered over a small area on the ground along with strings of saliva. However, a small piece of the shell drew my attention. It was pitch black and had a small trail of black smoke curling off it.

"There, that's it." Grover said pointing at the little piece of shell. He analyzed the shell for a while longer scratching the back of his head

"Though, I don't know about the black and smoke." he said with a snort. "That's new." He turned to me and furrowed his eyebrows.

"So, where is that?" I asked still only seeing a chewed-up acorn on the floor.

"We should be there by tomorrow. I think we're gonna need to cross back into the US." he finished sitting down on his butt and giving me a glare before turning away.

"What's up G-man?" I asked sitting down next to him. We had a nice view of the last of the sun setting from where we were sat. The sky was a light red colour and there were no clouds in the sky. The quiet around us was disturbed by a car whizzing by every few minutes but other than that it was peaceful.

"I looked for you, you know. Whenever I had free time." he mumbled out, his head hung towards the floor. I felt my shoulders sink as I watched him. It was selfish, just packing up and leaving like that.

"I'm sorry Gro-" I started before he raised his hand and interrupted.

"You don't need to apologize Percy. I probably would have done the same thing. I found out what happened. How she... died." he said his eyes glazing over slightly. I saw images flash through my mind of the moment, her pale eyes, screaming my name.

"It was horrible." I whispered out, feeling a tear trace down my cheek. He shuffled slightly closer to me and put a hand on my shoulder.

"It wasn't your fault." he said giving me a knowing look. I tilted my head slightly, looking at him.

"Hestia showed me what happened. You couldn't have known." he said staring straight into my eyes. I lowered my eyes to the floor.

"It was my idea Grover. If I had listened to her, she would be alive." I said, not looking at him.

"Bullshit." he announced. I flicked my head back up and looked at him. His eyes were narrowed and his mouth was stretched in a frown.

"And something could have killed her 20 minutes later. Or the next day. Or you both may have starved to death. Or, Or, Or." he yelled out glaring at me.

"Annabeth wouldn't want you sat around, moping and being depressed." I flinched when he said her name.

"Say her name Percy." I looked at him gritting my teeth.

"Annabeth." I muttered out.

"If she saw you now, she would kick your ass. Tell you to suck it up and to fight. To fight and fight and fight, until you can't fight any longer. For Thalia, and Nico and the others. This isn't how she would want to be remembered. And this isn't you." I felt my fists clench as he spoke. I felt the walls inside of me break as I got angrier and angrier.

"And what would you know about it, huh?" I growled out at him. Grover didn't even so much as flinch. He just continued to look me up and down.

"I think you forget Perce. She was my friend too. You may have been closer, but I knew her for longer." he responded calmly.

Grover was right, but that didn't make me feel any better. I felt my anger swell to an unbearable amount, turning and screaming in rage, laying into a rock next to me hitting it over and over.

After a few seconds I felt the anger subside. I looked down at my hands. I turned them palm face down feeling them shake as I looked at the bloody and broken knuckles and fingers. I looked back over at Grover, feeling a wave of exhaustion set over me. I felt the tension leave my shoulders as I looked at him.

"Good... let it out." he whispered out pulling me into a hug. I felt my body rack with tears as I hugged him back.

We sat like that for a few minutes until my tears had all been spent. I winced as I moved my hands back resting them in my lap.

"Thanks G-man, you're right." I mumbled out wiping an eye on my bicep. He smiled and nodded at me.

"If what you guys have said about this coming war is true. Well, the others will need you." he said looking off into the distance. I nodded in agreement.

He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. He sat still for a moment before he turned back to me.

"Junipers' pregnant." he announced nonchalantly. I felt my eyes bulge out at his statement and began coughing.

"What!?" I spluttered out in between coughs. He didn't respond for a few moments instead watching me.

"Yeah... I'm going to be a dad." he answered a smile beginning to form on his lips. My mouth hung open as he spoke.

"Would... Would you be the Godfather?" he asked his face paling slightly. I sat staring at him like he'd grown a second head for a minute trying to digest the information he'd just told me. Grover was going to be a dad. There were going to be little half Grover's running around soon.

"Of... Of course, man." I replied after a minute still trying to get my head around it. He let out a sigh of relief at my answer.

"Wait, you didn't think I would say 'No' did you?" I asked frowning at him.

"I wasn't sure." he said smiling at me.

"I'm honored, of course I will. It's just... You can't just drop something like that out of nowhere. Jeez." I said scratching the back of my head.

Grover started laughing, just a small chuckle at first but it slowly devolved into him clutching his stomach. I felt a smile grace my lips and soon enough I was laughing with him.

"Sorry." he mumbled out once he'd gotten it back together. He looked down at my hands and frowned.

"Let's go get those patched up." he said standing from his spot and helping me to my feet.

-Line Break-

I sat up covered in sweat. I had another nightmare about Tartarus, though this one was different to the ones that usually plague me. There was a large palace, made of black stone. It was so dark around I could barely see. However, the palace was clear as day. I had to do something there, I had to get something, I don't remember what though.

I shook my head to myself and looked across the room. It was still dark out. Nico and Grover were still asleep. Thalia was missing though. Probably in the bathroom.

I slid some jeans on and made my way outside wanting some fresh air. I strolled down the street and then back towards where we were staying. As I walked across the parking lot towards the doors I glanced to my left and saw a familiar figure sat at the base of a tree staring up into the sky.

I adjusted my course and walked over. Thalia was slouched against the base of the tree, head inclined towards the moon. I quietly walked over and sat next to her. She looked over at me and smiled before looking back towards the moon.

"Miss your sisters?" I asked looking into the clear sky. There wasn't a lot of light pollution where we were and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, so a lot of stars were visible.

"Yeah..." she mumbled out after a minute. "I love the hunt, and my sisters, but I didn't realize how much I much I missed this." she said tilting her head towards me. I gave her an estranged look.

"'This'?" I furrowed my eyebrows. She looked at me for a few seconds before looking back up to the sky.

"Being with you guys again. Going on quests and camp." she explained with a sigh.

"Yeah, me too." I admitted. I lay back on the floor putting my hands behind my head.

"I left in such a haste, I didn't realize how much I was leaving behind. Going back to camp resurfaced a lot of good memories, only now do I realize how much I miss it, and everyone there." I confessed

"Even Clarisse?" Thalia asked with a smirk. I nodded in return earning a shocked expression

"Even Clarisse." I affirmed. She let out a small chuckle before leaning back against the tree.

We sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes looking out into the sky. The horizon was starting to turn a shade of pink. It would be dawn soon, and according to Grover we would reach Bessie by the end of the day. I hoped everything would go off without a hitch, get there, slay a few bad guys and get out. How were we going to transport Bessie back to Olympus? I'm sure I could leave with Bessie whilst Thalia, Nico and Grover travelled back across land.

"You know you mean a lot to me Percy." Thalia whispered out making me jump. I looked away from the sky and back to her. She had an intense look in her eyes, one that I couldn't place.

"You mean a lot to me too, Thals." I whispered back earning a smile.

"I thought it was all over for me, I thought I had died on Half-blood hill. And then I opened my eyes and you were there. You told me I was safe, and that everything would be alright." she said.

"I remember." I replied remembering the moment she appeared. A mysterious raven-haired figure by the pine tree.

"The camp had us pitted against each other almost immediately. Both being children of the big three." I said remembering the days following Thalia's arrival.

"Yeah.." she snorted "We were supposed to hate each other because of our fathers rivalry." she remarked with a laugh.

"It's a miracle really." I said. She turned and gave me a quizzical look.

"Hestia explained that it is the first time in many centuries where children of Poseidon, Zeus and Hades have become friends." I explained. "It's almost unheard of." Thalia nodded looking down to the floor and fiddling with one of her boots.

I rubbed the back of my left hand still feeling the aches and pains from losing a fight with a rock.

"I think I'm going to have to get a ring now." she spoke up. I turned to her with a raised eyebrow. She nodded towards the silver band on my hand.

"You and Nico both have one now, can't be left out." she said with a smirk.

"Where did you get it?" she asked. I felt my eyes widen and I quickly looked away. Not many knew of what the sword actually was. Many knew I had a second enchanted sword, but few knew of its origin. Thalia would recognize the blade in a heartbeat.

"Look I'm not really supposed to tell people about this." I admitted. I twisted the ring and Cross-current appeared in my hand. She examined the sword for a moment

"It looks like Ript-" she started before her eyes widened. She didn't say anything instead only giving me a pointed glare. No words need be said, her eyes said one thing 'explain'.

"I got it in Tartarus." I conceded watching her reaction closely. Her expression was blank as she waited for me to explain more.

"Kronos is gone... for good. He visited me whilst I was in Tartarus and gifted me sword before he faded." I revealed. Thalia put her hands to her temples and started slowly massaging.

"Why?" she questioned after a moment.

"In all honesty... I have no idea. It helped taking down Gaia. Why he gave it to me though, I don't have a clue." I explained looking over to her. She nodded in understanding.

"Why haven't I seen you use it?" she asked.

"Well, I've used it twice since that day with Echidna. The first was on that day, and you were bleeding out and poisoned. You probably couldn't see properly. And the other was the other night when we were attacked, you were pretty much unconscious." I answered

"Oh." Was all she said, still looking at the sword in my hands.

"I don't like using this sword anyway." I admitted making it disappear back into a ring.

"It still has all the properties, it rends the soul from the body, even a small cut is beyond agonizing. I remember the first time I used it, I had barely scratched a dracaenae, she was on the floor in a second begging me to kill her. I remember what it felt like when Kronos cut me with it. I only use it when the need is great." I finished looking back up to Thalia. She gave me a reassuring smile.

"From the sounds of it having the restraint not to use it sounds best." She said.

The sun began to rise above the horizon. Rays of light poured onto my skin filling me with warmth. I sat basking in the light for a few moments before Thalia spoke up.

"We should get back." she announced standing up. She offered a hand for me, which I took springing to my feet. Together we walked back into the motel and up to our room. I swiped us in to our room. Nico and Grover were already up, both sat on a bed watching the TV.

A stack of black plates appeared before anyone could speak and Nico shot some finger guns at me. I rolled my eyes and summoned up a breakfast for us.

While we were eating Grover pulled a map out and began examining it. He trailed his finger along it before shaking his head. He started trailing his finger elsewhere before poking the map.

"I think I know where we are headed." He announced looking up from the map to us.

"That's good." I exclaimed. Nico cracked a grin before shaking his head and returning to his food.

"Oh Haha, very funny." Grover protested before tossing the map over to me.

"Somewhere around Glacier National Park" he announced before returning to his food.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" I asked standing up and grabbing my stuff. The others looked around at each other before standing and joining me.

Ten minutes later we were on the road. Nico had taken first driving shift. We agreed to get as much sleep as possible before we got to our destination. So, I helped direct Nico whilst Thalia and Grover napped in the back.

After several hours we switched over. I was happy to drive, while Thalia directed me. Around early afternoon we switched again, Thalia wanted to drive the rest of the way, So I summoned up some lunch before crashing in the back seat next to Nico.

I was shaken awake some time later. The sun was low in the sky overhead and dark clouds were beginning to take shape. I wiped the sleep out of my eye and sat up. We had just pulled into a small parking lot in a town. I shook my head feeling some sort of distorted or static feeling.

"Where are we?" I asked looking around the car. Grover turned around from the front seat.

"We're in a town called Browning in Montana." he said before turning to look out of the front window again.

"Montana?" I questioned.

"Yeah we passed back over the border an hour or so ago." He said looking at Thalia. I turned to look at Nico who seemed like he'd just woken up too. Thalia pulled the handbrake before turning to look into the back.

"Grover said we're pretty close, we're going to get some food before we continue." she said turning the car off and opening her door. She moved the seat forward and we clambered out into the fresh air.

"I reckon we should contact Olympus as well." I said as we walked over to the diner. Thalia hummed in agreement whilst Nico nodded. Grover opened the door for us and we walked in.

The interior was about as classic diner as you could get. Red leather booths against the window wall and a counter with stools. The woman behind the counter gave us a wave as we entered before returning to her conversation with another customer.

We took one of the corner booths. Grover slid in next to Nico, while Thalia took the window seat on the other side.

"You guys order for me." I said before turning and striding towards the toilets. The strange distorted feeling had been slowly growing and was now starting to seriously weird me out. I had it pinned down to nerves but I had never felt anything like it before, it was like white noise reverberating inside my skull.

I walked up to the sink and splashed some water on my face feeling a wave of relief as the feeling disappeared. I let out a large sigh taking a few moments before exiting and returning to my seat.

There was a large milkshake in front of my place and one in front of each of the others.

"You alright Perce?" Grover asked with a frown as I slid into the booth.

"Yeah, I just feel a little weird." I responded taking a big sip of my milkshake.

"We ordered you a burger." Nico said raising an eyebrow at me. "If that's cool." I gave him a thumbs up wincing as the static feeling slowly crept back in.

"Well I was right." Grover announced. I turned to look at him. He was staring out the window towards some distant mountains.

"There is something strange going on that way. Energy of some kind is pouring out of there in droves." he said turning back to look at us.

"I don't feel anything." Thalia said looking over to the mountains.

"I do." I mumbled out placing my hand against my temple. They all looked at me cautiously.

"What do you mean?" Nico asked taking slurp of his milkshake. I shook my head.

"I don't know really, some sort of weird feeling bouncing around my head." I responded blinking hard a few times.

We were interrupted by our food arriving. The waitress placed down three cheeseburgers and one Vegetarian wrap for Grover.

I tucked into my food trying not to focus the bad feeling I was getting every time I looked up towards the mountains.

We finished up our food quickly and paid our check. We hopped back into the car and started off towards the mountains. We pulled over by a small lake on the way agreeing to contact Olympus before we went any further.

Nico flicked a drachma into the rainbow and called out for Athena. The Iris message shimmered into a picture of the Olympian throne room. All of the thrones were occupied their heads all turning to look at us as the message appeared.

On the other side of the throne room, facing the council were close to a hundred people sat in smaller thrones. I recognized a few faces from the crowd. Nemesis, Hecate, Janus, Triton. More gods than I could name were sat before the council in some sort of assembly. I turned to look at the others whose faces were as shocked as I felt.

"Nico, my son. What is it?" Hades called out breaking the silence.

"Father, we are close. We believe we have located the Ophiotaurus." Nico said looking around at the council members, many of whom were nodding at the good news.

"Have you for definite located it?" Athena called out, staring intently down at us.

"No, My Lady. There is a serious amount of godly energy coming from nearby. Bessie is close, but we have yet to actually find her. Whatever is going on, it is big." Grover said, stepping forward into the light. She nodded before sitting back into her throne.

"Where are you?" Artemis called out from next to Athena, sitting forward.

"We are just outside a town called Browning in Montana, My Lady. We are headed up into the mountains nearby." Thalia said stepping forward. She nodded as if she was taking note before sitting back.

"Good luck then, be sure to contact us once the Ophiotaurus is secure." Zeus bellowed out, a stern look on his face. The message then simmered out before dissolving entirely.

"Was it just me or did that seem-" I started.

"Off." Nico said finishing my sentence.

We looked around at each other curiously before returning to the car. Grover and I got in the back of the car whilst Nico hopped into the passenger seat.

Thalia started driving us up the hill and into the mountain range. Dark clouds had formed overhead. Though it was still daytime, no day light could be seen, being totally blocked by the clouds.

A large jet of black lightning shot down from the sky impacting somewhere in the woods a few miles away. Nobody said a word as another fell shortly after, impacting close to where the first had landed.

Grover began nervously tapping his leg as a few drops of rain began to patter against the windscreen. Soon the rain began to pour heavier, the sky was occasionally torn apart by a flash of lightning and a boom of thunder.

As we rounded another bend the car began to choke and splutter. Thalia pulled it over to the side of the road and stopped it. She tried starting the car again, but to no luck.

"FUCK!" she screamed out slamming her hands against the wheel. It was the first thing anyone had said in a while.

"What the fuck is that." She yelled turning and pointing to another streak of lightning. None of us answered, having no idea. An image flashed through my mind of the dream I had previously had. The robed figure stood before the alter. A streak of black lightning impacting before him.

I shook my head and looked at Nico who had turned back to look at me.

"We're on foot." I said with a grimace. He nodded kicking open his door and stepping out, moving the seat forward for Grover to get out. Thalia did the same, stepping out into the rain and moving the seat forward.

As I stepped out, I pulled the pendant around my neck feeling my armour form around my body. I looked over at Nico who had had a similar idea his armour and helmet already on.

Another streak of lightning touched down nearby. I looked at the others before starting off into the woods in that direction. They wordlessly followed.

We stuck close together as we crept through the woods. I led the way, followed by Thalia and then Grover, with Nico bringing up the rear.

"Percy." Grover called out garnering my attention. I turned to look and saw that he was sniffing. He pointed off to the right somewhere and the started trudging in that direction.

As we crept forward Grover put his hand up, signaling us to stop. A few seconds later a dryad materialized out of a tree and ran up to Grover. She stopped to give the rest of us a glance before speaking to him.

After a few seconds he beckoned us over. We walked over, our boots splashing into newly formed puddles.

"Tell them." Grover said a serious look adorning his face.

"Yes, Lord." She said before turning to look at us.

"There is a ritual being performed, many foul things have gathered at the alter not far from here. They are performing sacrifices, I do not know what for. Many of my kin have perished." she said solemnly.

I hung my head for a moment before nodding in thanks to her. A few seconds later more dryads and spirits appeared. A few Satyrs appeared from the woods along with a group of centaurs. I looked around at them for a moment, my hand instinctively going for Riptide.

They all then began to bow towards Grover, who waved them off. Another boom of thunder sounded overhead startling me.

"We will help where we can." One of the centaurs called out trotting forward a large two-handed sword over one shoulder.

"Come, follow us." He said before turning and cantering through the trees up the side of the slope.

"Grover what is going on?" I whispered as we followed the group through the forest.

"They want to fight with us, to stop whatever 'Ritual' is happening." he explained looking around at them. I shook my head not really knowing what to expect.

We slowed to a stop after a few minutes and the lead centaur turned to us.

"Give us a signal and we will attack from all sides. You may be able to make some sense of what is happening." he said to Grover before turning and moving off with the others.

I turned and look at the others giving them all reassuring nods before crouching and moving round a large outcropping of rocks. Together we crept forward until a familiar area came into view. It was the same place from my dream.

A clearing maybe 100ft in circumference with woods backing all sides. In the center of the clearing was a raised platform with a cracked alter on top. Six large stone pillars stood around the alter three on either side of the platform. Black veins were extending from the alter in every direction. They descended down from the platform and spread out through the clearing.

Monsters of every shape and size were bowed down before the platform almost as if they were worshipping. Atop the platform the same robed figure stood arms wide head inclined towards the sky. Next to him three immortals stood, the same three from my dream, the two who looked like brothers in bloodied armour and the third in silver armour with white hair. They stood watching the robed figure work.

I blinked a few times shaking the rainwater from my eyes. I just realized now that Bessie was laying atop the cracked alter and unmoving. We may have been too late.

I turned to look at the others who were all watching the scene with as much intensity as me. The robed figure began chanting and waving his arms, though I couldn't make it out over the rainfall.

"What do we do?" I asked urgently turning to the others. Nico was about to say something, but his head flicked back to the ritual.

The robed figure brought a knife out and raised it above his head, blade aimed down. We didn't have time to plan this out. We needed to stop him.

I stood from my spot and brought Riptide out flicking the cap off. As I did the immortals stood up by the alter turned towards.

"NO!" The lead one roared out a large claymore appearing in his hands.

"THEY MUST NOT INTERUPT THE RITUAL!" he boomed. Many of the monsters who had been hunched over turned towards us and began growling. The hooded figure stopped and turned towards us, and I got a good look at his face.

Octavian.

He had never been caught, all but vanishing from the earth. Here he was in league with the enemy. He smirked at us before turning and plunging the knife into Bessie.

A blood curdling screech emanated from Bessie before it was cut short as the knife fell again. Blood spewed out flooding off the alter and down the steps.

"NO!" I screamed out before charging forward into the clearing and impaling the closest monster to me. I turned to a cyclops right next the first when a blur of black passed me and stabbed the cyclops in the stomach. Nico then stomped his foot and a large crack appeared tearing its way forward. In seconds skeletons began clawing their way out and attacking monsters.

I turned to see a dracaenae with a sword raised ready to cut me down. A spear appeared through the back of her head and she collapsed into dust. Thalia was stood in her place. Aegis sprung to life on her arm in time to deflect sword swipe.

A sound like a war horn went off and nature spirits, satyrs and centaurs came crashing out of the woods and into the monsters. In a matter of seconds, the clearing had erupted into total chaos.

I refocused, pushing forwards. Nico and Thalia never further than two feet away from me. I twisted the ring on my finger and Cross-current appeared. I darted forward slicing the head off a dracaenae whilst blocking another's sword. I spun and stabbed her through the chest. Before turning back and stabbing both into a cyclops's chest. He screamed and exploded into pieces.

The large immortal in silver armour jumped off the platform and began wading through the fighting towards us. The other two remained at the top backing Octavian as he raised intestines and a heart towards the sky, blood dripping down his arms.

The silver immortal waded towards us, a smirk on his face.

"You two get up to that platform, I'll deal with big shiny here." Nico yelled out to my left cutting a laistrygonians leg off.

I turned to Thalia who nodded to me smashing her shield into a hell hound's snout and stabbing her spear through its head.

I used both my swords independently, never stagnating. I stabbed another dracaenae through the throat before turning and stabbing Cross-current into a cyclops's leg. It wasn't a fatal wound, but the monster went down screaming all the same.

Thalia reappeared by my side using Aegis to ward off many of the monsters. Most were too busy trying to deal with the army of skeletons that had appeared in their lines to pay attention to us, so we were able to approach the platform easily.

A large brazier filled with black fire had appeared and Octavian was busy dumping blood and guts into it.

I was about to approach him when the two immortals stepped in our path.

"I believe we haven't been formerly introduced." One called out stabbing his claymore into the floor.

"I am Perses, and this is my brother, Pallas." he announced with a maniacal grin. He hefted his sword and swung it down at me. I jumped back as the bladed cleave into the ground.

"I don't care." I yelled darting forward and slashing at his legs. He sidestepped and backhanded me sending me flying towards the edge of the platform. I crashed down rolling to a stop a few feet from the edge. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and rolled to the side on instinct, narrowly avoiding a downward thrust from the Titan.

I sat up and stabbed riptide through his shin. He screamed in pain before looking down at the sword impaled through his leg. I chanced a look across the platform and saw Thalia engaged in fierce spear on spear combat with the other Titan, Pallas.

Octavian was between us on his knees, his eyes rolled back in his head. Black smoke was pouring out of Bessie's carcass.

I turned back to the more immediate threat to see Perses fist cocked back ready to unload into me. I let go of Riptide and rolled to the side again narrowly avoiding the fist as it plowed into the ground.

I leapt to my feet and backed up a few paces spinning Cross-current in my hand taking up a more defensive stance. Perses straightened up ripping Riptide from his leg and tossing it behind him. He wrenched his claymore from the floor and stood eyeing me for a moment.

He raised his leg up and slammed it into the floor unleashing a powerful quake. I braced waiting for the force to hit me but felt nothing.

Perses rolled his eyes at me. "Gah, Sea spawn. So, you must be Perseus Jackson." he said advancing towards me with a grin. I outstretched my hand and sent a wave of rainwater smashing into his face.

He stopped and shook his head before turning towards me with a smirk. "Not bad."

He then closed on me with blinding speed and sent a series of swings that I was only just able to dodge. For the swords massive size, it sure could move fast.

I rolled under a swing and brought up cross-current opening a gash on the Titan's thigh before dodging away. Perses roared in pain and fell down to a knee in surprise. He blinked a few times before looking at the relatively small cut on his leg. He looked over to my sword and his eyes widened.

"How interesting." he mused before standing and raising his sword again. This time he gave me no quarter and delivered blow after blow. I narrowly avoided being sliced in half before receiving a heavy boot to the chest that sent my flying into one of the stone pillars. I felt a sharp pain in my spine but didn't even have time to address it as I dove forward avoiding another overhead attack, which instead cleaved the pillar in two.

I checked my pocket and re-drew Riptide to the surprise of the Titan.

"Oh, you are full of tricks aren't you." he cackled, advancing towards me again.

"Do you always talk this much?" I yelled out spinning both swords and meeting the Titan's advance. I parried his sword to the side and got a nice gash in on the side of his breastplate. Before leaping back to avoid his boot. The same trick he'd used before.

I thrust my sword forward and impaled him through his other shin. Earning another scream of rage. I didn't have time to celebrate my victory as the pommel of his sword came down and smacked me on the head.

I'm surprised the blow didn't knock me out. He had hit me with so much force I was thrown to the floor on my back.

Perses loomed over me and put his foot on my chest. In a flash I had cross current up and stabbed it through his ankle.

The Titan fell down to the floor writhing in agony. I stood up and tore my helmet from my head feeling reinvigorated as the rain water splashed against my bare skin. I looked down at my helmet which now had a large dent in.

I turned back to Perses only to see the bottom of his boot again. He sent me sailing across the platform and down the steps into the mud.

I rolled over to see Nico above me, sword in hand. He took off up the steps towards the platform. I looked where he was running and felt another surge of strength in my vains. Thalia was backed up against a pillar, her shield and spear were gone, only her agility was keeping her alive. She jumped over a leg sweep from Pallas but didn't have enough time to move as he spun and plunged his spear into her.

I ran up the stairs only to be blocked by Perses again. I chanced a quick look at Thalia and saw that the spear had hit her in the shoulder. Nico had grown to his godly height and was engaging the Titan with all his might send blasts of black power and devastating swings at the Titan.

I need to finish this quickly or Thalia was dead. I would not let that happen. I attacked again at full force sending everything I had at Perses who could only just keep up against the onslaught of Riptide and Cross-current.

I rolled between Perses legs and came up behind him slicing Cross-current up his back earning a howl. He swung his sword around hoping to catch me, but I was too quick. I ducked under and jabbed at his wrist with Riptide, nicking a cut on his wrist. He sent a powerful punch towards me, which I narrowly avoided before returning with another slash at his torso. The Titan backed up a few feet clutching his chest in pain.

I slammed my foot down creating an earthquake directed towards Perses. It wasn't a powerful earthquake by any means, enough to make him lose his balance. And in the moment straight after I ran forward and jumped in the air turning my body parallel with the floor. I drop kicked Perses and sent him careening off the platform and down the steps.

I reached him as he was starting to sit up and thrust Riptide into his shoulder forcing him down to the floor. I placed Cross-current at his throat and smirked.

I large spike of lightning shot down and impacted on Bessie's body drawing my attention. The lightning kept coming arcing out into sky. The lightning stopped after a moment and a beam of black energy shot out from where Bessie had been. All of the monsters began roaring and jeering in approval. Whatever Octavian had been doing, he had finished.

"They told me not to underestimate you." Perses exclaimed through grit teeth. "I was a fool." he said before leaning his head back exposing more of his neck to me. I raised my sword ready to finish the Titan when an ear-splitting screech tore through the clearing.

"NOOOO!"

Thalia POV

Percy took off to engage the other Titan leaving me with Pallas. The fight had started off slowly, both of us jabbing experimentally at each other trying to get a feel for the others fighting style. The Titan then unleashed, not holding back. I knew immediately I was outclassed and I had to fight smart. I parried a Jab with my shield and sent my own quick jab into the Titans stomach catching him off guard.

He growled at me before attacking again, sending a mix-up of attacks my way. Jabs, leg sweeps, using not only the tip but the entire spear to full effect. I'd deflect the point only to have the shaft crash into me a second later.

I backed up, leaning back from swipe and extended out, stabbing the Titan in the thigh I quickly followed up by smashing my shield into his stomach. He hunched over in pain and I went for another lunge. Faster than I could see he batted my spear to the side and grabbed ahold of my shield, tearing it from my arm and throwing it off the side of the platform. I pointed my spear towards him and felt a familiar sensation. A bolt of lightning shot from the sky hitting the tip of my spear and went flying into Pallas blowing him back a few feet.

I had a chance to quickly catch my breath and chanced a glance at Percy. I saw him dive to the side of Perses as the Titan cut a stone pillar in half. I turned back to Pallas to see a spear already in motion. With the grace of a true huntress a pivoted on one foot and spun feeling as the spear grazed against my side and tore my clothing.

I stabbed my spear straight up and through Pallas' bicep. He screamed in agony and dropped his spear. He grabbed onto mine by the shaft and placed his boot against my stomach. He ripped the spear out of grasp and sent me flying into one of the pillars in one move.

I climbed to my feet in time to see Pallas tear my spear out of his arm and throw it. I was weaponless and had no way of fighting back. I did have a small knife in my left boot, but I doubt I could reach it before I was skewered alive.

A blur of black went flying past behind Pallas and rolled down the steps into the mud. Pallas summoned his spear and thrust at me. I sidestepped and batted the spear away. He spun and tried to sweep my legs from under me. I jumped over raising my head in time to see the point of his spear crash against my right shoulder. I heard a sickening squelch as the spear impacted and sent me flying against the stone pillar pinning me in place.

My vision went fuzzy and black spots appeared in my eyes. I blinked a few times before a wave of blood came spilling out of my mouth and down my chest. I looked up and saw a dark figure crash into Pallas and send him flying back. My head lulled off to the side and I struggled to keep my eyes open. Stay alive. Stay alive...

Another wave of blood came pouring out of my mouth. I moved my head to the side and spat it out onto the floor. I turned to look at my shoulder, blood was pouring out of the wound and down my chest and arm. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to look.

Grover was sat over me I didn't know what he was doing, I could barely see. I felt a warmth begin to spread through my body. My vision started to clear up, the black spots fading away.

A large bolt of black lightning fell from the sky, crashing into the alter. I tilted my head to the side.

"Grover..." I mumbled out struggling to speak.

"Thalia don't speak, save your energy. Just focus on my voice okay... No, open your eyes, don't go to sleep. Do you hear me?" he yelled I slowly nodded my head. I felt something against my lips. I tasted a fresh cup of coffee and Sally Jackson's blue cookies... I could see them just in front of me. So good...

"Thalia! Stay awake." Grover yelled again. I opened my eyes a crack and saw a beam of black light appear over the alter shining into the sky.

Nico was stood looking up at the beam, sword in hand. I rolled my head to the side and saw Pallas approaching him from behind.

In one quick strike the Titan thrust his spear through the base of Nico's spine.

"NOOOOOOO!" I screamed out trying to move, trying to help my cousin.

Pallas ripped the spear out before impaling it into him a second time.

"Pathetic." he called out with a scowl, before spitting down.

Grover stood and ran towards the Titan only to be picked up by the throat and thrown from the platform.

The Titan turned towards me and smirked. He tore his spear out and stalked towards me.

"Your turn." he cooed with a smile

He leveled his spear towards my throat and gave me a gleeful look. He wound his spear back ready to strike only to abruptly stop.

A figure shrouded in green light was stood next to him a single hand outstretched. The Titan dropped his spear and fell to his knees. I felt my eyes begin to flicker shut.

"Stay awake!" I heard Grover's voice in my head.

I could hear my blood pumping and feel myself losing consciousness. I opened my eyes again, and saw Pallas on his back. He was screaming and writhing in pain. The figure was stood above him, one arm stretched towards him his hand in a claw like grip.

The other arm was stretched behind him, hand in a similar fashion. My head rolled to the side. I saw monsters pouring up the steps towards us. Whenever they got within a few feet they would explode into dust.

The other Titan, the one in silver was stumbling up the steps towards the figure clutching his stomach. He came up behind the figure and cracked him on the head. The light shut off and the figure fell to the floor.

It was Percy, he was cut up and badly bloodied.

"MENOETIUS!" A new voice called out. I blinked and the Silver titan was on the floor beneath another Titan's boot. This one had white hair and silver armour similarly to the one who had hit Percy. A red skinned, red bearded being was crouched next to me, he was muttering words I couldn't understand or hear. I felt some strength come back into me.

I heard a nauseating squelch and saw that Pallas' spear was now on the floor at my feet. I slid down the pillar and crashed onto the floor. I rolled my head to the side and saw Percy's unconscious broken form a few feet away.

I moved my good arm above my head and dragged myself along the floor towards him. I could still hear the roars and clashing of swords but that didn't matter. I dragged myself a little further feeling my energy sap. I placed my head against the floor not having enough energy to lift it.

'Come on Thalia' I screamed at myself mustering the energy to drag myself a little further. I moved my arm in front of me again and felt a body. I slowly lifted my head and saw that I was clutching on to the edge of Percy's shoulder.

One more. I screamed in pain as I dragged myself next to Percy. I was breathing heavily and fighting to stay conscious. Please be alive, please be alive. Please.

I stuck my fingers against his throat as my body gave out. I was panting heavily and my vision had faded. I didn't need my vision though. Please.

 _Thump_.

I let out a sigh of relief before darkness consumed me.

 **A/N: Hi guys, how y'all doing? Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Had a lot of trouble writing this chapter and it went through a few changes, took me a while to write. I may change it again or add more in the future.**

 **Leave a review and tell me what you think, feedback is great and always helps.**

 **Xoxo**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Thalia POV

My eyes slowly flickered open. I was laying on hard stone, facing up towards the dark night sky. There was a searing pain in my right shoulder, which I tried to ignore as I got my bearings. Percy was laying on the floor next to me. Except for minor cuts and scrapes he seemed okay.

I slowly lifted my head and looked around, we were still at the alter in the woods, however all seemed quiet. There was no black beam, no burning black fire, and no Titans. At the base of the alter sprawled on the floor was Octavian, his head lifted towards the sky, his throat had been slit, blood was pouring from the wound.

It seemed like one bad dream. I looked down at my shoulder. White bandages had been wrapped from my bicep up and across my shoulder, a big patch of red on the front and back.

I looked around and saw more remains of the battle, large clumps of gold dust were scattered around the area.

I glanced back over to the alter and a streak of gold caught my attention. Ichor was splattered along the floor, leading to a small pool of it and a large pile of golden dust.

Images bombarded my mind of what had happened...

Nico...

"Oh gods..." I whispered out turning away from the scene, feeling bile rise up in my throat and tears spring from my eyes. I turned coming face to face with a giant. Instinctively I recoiled back, before his features became reminiscent of someone I knew.

The giant held his hands up in surrender before he gave a quick glance behind him. Further into the clearing, among the piles of monster dust was a tall immortal, dressed in silver armour. He had curly white hair and fiery eyes. He was stood, his foot planted firmly on the chest of another below him, the one who had hit Percy from behind. The Titan below him was struggling but to no avail.

"I know you." I said looking between the two.

The giant nodded, bringing a hand up to scratch his red beard. He looked over at Percy, and I made the connection.

"You are Damasen, I saw you at the Olympian council three years ago." I said remembering the meeting just after the end of the war, and Percy's wish to have them freed.

"I am, Thalia, daughter of Zeus." he said crouching down to my level. I was taken aback by his response.

"You know me!?" I remarked, scooting back slightly.

"Yes. Percy spoke quite fondly of you during his stay with me in Tartarus." he explained looking over at Percy's unconscious body again.

"We came looking for Bob's son, Menoetius." he said gesturing down to the two Titan's in the clearing. "We did not know you were here, we would have helped or arrived sooner if we had known." he said lowering his head as he looked at Percy's body.

"What did they do? What happened." he asked turning back a frown appearing on his face.

"I can't explain, there's no time." I knew the power the Ophiotaurus contained, the power to destroy Olympus. We had failed and now it was only a matter of time. Olympus had to be warned. It was the middle of the night so we had no way of Iris Messaging or communicating back, and we couldn't wait till morning.

"We need to get to Olympus immediately." I explained frantically trying to stand up. A wave of nausea cascaded over me forcing me back to the floor. Damasen gave me a worried look, waving his hand over my head.

"I would be glad to help you. But we have no jurisdiction and cannot interfere." he explained sadly.

"Fuck the Ancient laws." I yelled at him. Damasen's eyes widened and his eyebrows narrowed. I narrowed my eyes at him, staring into his red eyes.

"Do it for Percy." I growled out not breaking eye contact. Damasen continued to study me for a moment before looking over at Percy.

"Very well." he said bowing his head. He stood and walked down the steps and over to Bob. I slowly climbed to my feet and looked around the clearing. Where was Grover? There seemed to be no sign of life. A familiar glint of silver drew my attention and I began making my way off the platform and into the clearing.

Aegis, my shield was face up in the grass and dirt. My spear was impaled in the dirt a few feet away. I collapsed my shield and spear back down, putting Aegis on my wrist and my spear back in my pocket.

"Grover!?" I yelled out walking closer to the tree line. There was no response. Where was that damn goat, we needed to leave.

I circled around the alter coming full circle next to Damasen who had Percy in his arms. He gave me a curious look. Bob, along with the other Titan were nowhere to be seen.

"Grover!" I yelled out again. I waited another few moments but again, no response.

"Who are you looking for?" Damasen asked frowning down at me.

"Our friend, Grover." I responded "He's a satyr, medium build, a bit taller than me, horns. He came with us on the quest, I saw him during the battle, just before you arrived." I explained turning and looking into the woods behind us.

"There is nobody else here." Damasen sounded sadly. I whipped round to look at the Giant. He had a pained expression on his face.

"What do you mean?" I responded. Heat began to rush to my head. Not Grover too. No... No... I began frantically looking around the clearing, scanning the tree line for any sign of movement. Damasen took a step closer towards me. For his enormous size his foot fall was very quiet.

A sharp pain through my shoulder reminded me of the severity of the situation. I took in a deep breath and sent a silent prayer out for Grover's safety before turning and taking Damasen's now outstretched hand.

My vision twisted and contorted, blurring into an indiscernible mess and then suddenly we were stood in the center of the Olympian Throne room. An accompanying wave of dizziness followed making me stumble back into Damasen's leg.

"Thalia!" I blinked and looked in the direction of the voice. My father was sat on his throne, along with Poseidon and Hades in their respective thrones, the rest of the room was empty. Damasen was slowly laying Percy down next to the hearth.

"Thalia! What happened?" Zeus called out again his eyes darting down to the bloody bandage around my shoulder and Percy's body. Poseidon had now risen to his feet a look of concern across his face as he looked at his son. Hades was looking around the room evidently looking for Nico.

"We... It..." is as much as I could choke out as tears began rising up.

Less than a minute later the throne room had been filled. All of the Olympians were present and, on their thrones, with the exception of Hestia who was sat looking over Percy, like a fussing mother looking over her child.

"When you're ready Thalia. From the beginning." Zeus announced, a kind yet stern look on his face.

"We started our quest heading West. We got train tickets to Detroit. In Detroit Percy spoke with a Nereid who pointed us further North to Toronto to help track the Ophiotaurus. There we encountered Grover, he agreed to help track down the Ophiotaurus." I explained looking round at the council's faces. They were all listening intently. Lady Artemis was even leaning forward, examining me.

"That evening as we were driving West from Toronto we were attacked. I don't know what by, an explosion knocked me out. We reported it to Lady Athena the next morning." I said looking over to the Goddess of Wisdom.

"Yes, I remember, though I have never heard of this ' _creature_ ' before" she commented. "If I had more details, I may have an answer." she explained leaning back in her throne. I frowned not being able to come up with anything, I barely remember anything from the night itself.

"We didn't see it." A gruff, croaky voice called out behind me. I turned to see Percy sat upright. His eyes were dull and bloodshot, with massive bags hanging underneath. His face was a pale green colour, far from his usual tanned complexion.

"Percy." I breathed out, losing control of my body, running up to him and pulling him into a hug. I squeezed him tightly against me. His hand moved up and down, rubbing my back, giving off a soothing, calming feeling.

"He's gone." I whispered out. Fresh tears sprung up from my eyes rolling down my cheeks, soaking into his top.

"I saw." he said quietly. He broke apart from the hug and stepped forward with me.

"We didn't see what attacked us." He repeated. "It moved out of sight, to the side of the road. But there was this overpowering feeling. Like we were seconds from death. I can't explain it. Nico sensed it as well."

Athena looked away from us, her eyes glazing over. Zeus looked at her for a moment before nodding to us to continue.

"We managed to escape and continued West. We lost our car and contacted the Amazons for help." I continued earning a reassuring nod from Percy.

"We were directed to a nearby compound where we could resupply and get a car, we came across some monsters, and then afterwards a Goddess." I said looking over to Percy who continued.

"It was, uh, Eris, I think." He explained. Heads quickly snapped up in the direction of Hades who looked bewildered. He snapped his fingers and in a puff of smoke a Fury appeared. He whispered he few words to it before it vanished again.

"Alecto will be a few moments, continue Perseus." he said gesturing for Percy to continue the story.

"Yeah, uh, she was ranting and raving about something. I don't know what, she was talking about her great plan, and that I had foiled it. I don't know. Nico stepped in asking her how she was free, but she wasn't interested in him. And then she tried to kill us, take her divine form and incinerate us." he explained.

"But Nico, was able to withstand it and he killed her." he finished as Alecto reappeared on her Master's shoulder. She whispered something to Hades who frowned in response. He nodded to the Fury who disappeared before turning and addressing the council.

"Many of the Prisons have been emptied and strong concealment wards have been placed. It appears as if nothing has changed from a distance. Most, however, are free." Hades explained slowly. A chorus of sighs and huffs came from a few of the council whilst many looked confused. I looked over at Percy who seemed just as confused as me.

"At the end of the Tian War." Zeus began, his eyes closed, face scrunched as if he were remembering his worst memory. "Those that were not slain were imprisoned. Chained down and sealed within great chambers deep within the Earth, never to see the light of day again." He explained. "Few knew of the prisons and fewer of their locations. According to this news, many now have been freed. Eris was imprisoned much later, shortly after the Trojan War." Zeus finished looking back down at us. The room seemed to darken as Zeus explained.

"This spells grave news, tell us the fate of your quest." Zeus observed in a much more sombre tone. The council turned from Zeus back to us all looking more and more uncomfortable with each passing second.

"We made contact here just before we found the Ophiotaurus." Zeus nodded in response. "And? To the fate of the beast?" he asked leaning forward in his throne.

"Dead." Percy affirmed bluntly. "It was slaughtered on a stone alter and sacrificed in a brazier of black flame." he replied. I looked from him back up to my father. Zeus's face fell at the words along with gasp from the rest of the council.

"There's more." I exclaimed earning a few disheartened looks. "Octavian was there, he sacrificed the Ophiotaurus himself." Zeus stood up his face turning bright red with rage only to immediately cool off when I followed up with "He's dead."

"There were three Titans and an army of monsters defending the ritual. Pallas, Perses and another Titan in silver armour." Percy announced from my side.

"Menoetius. The other Titan was Menoetius." a voice called from the side of throne room. Damasen who was stood off to the side, stepped forward into the light.

"Bob and I have been out seeking his children, hoping to bring them in, swear neutrality and give up the senseless fighting." he explained. Zeus nodded in thanks to Damasen who then bowed and moved back towards the edge of the council.

"We fought the Titans, Thalia was injured during the fight and Nico stepped up to save her. There was this bolt of black lightning that crashed into the alter and this beam of light rising into the sky." Percy explained, his face darkening and his eyes glazing over as he recounted the battle. He looked up to Hades whose eyes had widened.

"The Titan Pallas stabbed Nico through the back whilst he was distracted. He... He's... dead." he said grievously. An image flashed through my mind of the spear being thrust through Nico. A familiar stinging in my chest as the memory passed. I looked back up to Percy who had fresh tears streaming down his cheeks. I looked over at Hades who now had his head in his hands.

The council was silent for a few moments as we processed Nico's death. Slowly Athena raised her head.

"What happened after that?" she asked looking between Percy and I.

"I don't remember, it's just a blur of red." Percy said turning to me. I was about to speak up about Percy glowing green and monsters just falling around him as if some invisible force were overpowering them, but Damasen interrupted first, stepping forward once more.

"That is when Bob and I arrived. Pallas was slain, Perses, must have escaped and Bob is with Menoetius." he explained to the council. His eyes darted towards Percy and I for a moment before returning to the council.

"Well, we thank you for the aide." Zeus announced nodding his head to Damasen once more who moved off to the side again.

"This is grave news indeed." Poseidon expressed looking round the room.

"What do we do?" Apollo asked looking around the room.

"I say we go on the offensive, why wait to be attacked." Ares declared slamming his fist down against the armrest of the throne.

"Here you go again Ares, never thinking with your head." Athena exclaimed with a sigh. "Go on the offensive against what? Against who?"

"We find the Titans who escaped, and we make them squeal. Give up the information." he proposed looking around proudly. Athena sat back for a moment scratching her chin.

"I think it's best to act defensively. We don't know who is attacking us!" Hermes chimed in looking around the room.

"What would you know about it!?" Ares yelled out standing from his throne. A few seconds passed and the room erupted into chaos as the council began arguing over who had the best plan and what they should do.

Percy turned to me, rolled his eyes and then sat back down at the base of the hearth next to Hestia, who was still sat there. I followed his lead and sat down next to him. He looked down at me and gave my hand a comforting squeeze along with a sad smile.

"ENOUGH!" Zeus bellowed out with a boom of thunder. The throne room silenced and Gods returned to their thrones.

"This bickering is pointless." he roared out his eyebrows set straight as he scanned the council.

" _ **Correct."**_ A voice said, reverberating out of the walls and floor. The effect in the room was immediate, weapons appearing in hands and armour covering bodies.

A gasp came out off to the side somewhere. I turned to look and saw Aphrodite looking behind us towards the main entrance. I spun around and winced. A being was hovering a few feet off the ground. Its skin was pure white, and glowing. It had a long slender form and no distinctive features save for a set of purple eyes.

The moment I looked at it my eyes began to itch. The being was radiating so much power that the air around it was warping and distorting under the pressure. I was forced to look down and not bring my eyes directly onto it.

The throne room was deathly quiet, even the Olympians were having a difficult time looking at it. It slowly strode forward through the air. A flash of light in the center of the room made me spin back around.

The Three Fates had appeared. The middle one then stepped forwards.

"No! You cannot!" she proclaimed to the being.

The being which was still walking through the air, stopped a few feet from the fates and lowered down to the ground. It was around 8 feet tall and was shaped like a human. It had no features, no mouth, no hair, nothing but a set of glowing purple eyes.

" _ **I 'Cannot'?"**_ The being questioned this time the voice projecting out of its body. It stood tall over the fates looking down at them. The middle Fate who had spoken paled a considerable amount and lowered her eyes to the floor.

"You break the laws-" the fate on the left began saying only to be interrupted by a withering glare for the being.

" _ **You dare cite my OWN laws to me, Clotho?"**_ Not a sound could be heard as the being straightened upright.

" _ **Begone..."**_ Without hesitation or complaint, the Fates disappeared in a flash of light.

The being then turned on the spot looking at each member of the council, many of whom had their eyes lowered to the floor. I didn't know of any immortal who could say that to the Fates and still be alive. Whoever this was they had power and everyone in the room knew it. The being then turned to look at us and sent a quick nod to Percy, who seemed to have no problem looking at it.

"You're real." Athena said quietly her eyes stretched wide. The being turned to look at the Goddess who promptly dropped her eyes to avoid looking at it.

" _ **I am, Pallas Athena."**_ it responded before turning and centering itself in front of the council and rising up off the floor into the air.

" _ **I have come against the wishes of my daughter, Ananke. This is the first time I have entered the mortal plain in many, many eons, and I should not be here. However, I have no choice. I have come to shed light on that which is unknown."**_ It spoke slowly looking around the room. Wherever it looked eyes dropped to the floor, the moment it turned away eyes would flick back up watching, analyzing.

" _ **I am Chaos. My son, Erebus, has broken free of his constraints and escaped his prison. He seeks to rise from the depths. This cannot happen. I have been monitoring his progress carefully and would have snipped the bud in its infancy had I been able to. Unfortunately, the same laws that restrict you, also restrict me, so that I may never interfere or take sides among my offspring."**_ Chaos explained. I lowered my head further at the mention of the beings name. The creator of everything was stood in front of me. I could barely process what was going on. Percy squeezed my hand again and in the moment I forgot about everything, focusing only on the fact that he was still holding my hand. Heat ran to my cheeks, making me lower my head even further. I instead focused back in on the conversation.

" _ **Long ago, before the Titans were born, the lands were at war with themselves. My children fought one another for dominance. My son Erebus was at war against Ouranos for the title of King. However, both being of near equal strength neither could prevail. Erebus hatched a plan and though I know not how, he was able to enter the void, my home, and there he stole power. In the void, power is a literal and physical thing. He was able to return with it and with this power he crafted a weapon, a blade unlike all others, able to tear one's soul from their body and cast it into the void."**_ Chaos then turned to look at Percy whose eyes widened. He lifted his hand up slowly. The ring on his finger began to shake before flying off and into Chaos's waiting hand, where it elongated into a sword.

" _ **This blade he did not use for himself. He granted it as a gift to Ouranos on the day of his union with Gaia as a peace offering, and his right to rule... This weapon is evil, an abomination and should never have existed, it will corrupt all whom wield it in its malicious quest for destruction. The blade slowly corrupted Ouranos, turning him wicked, and vile. All Erebus need do is step in and claim the throne for himself. I had to intervene. I had Erebus stopped before he could complete his plan, and had his brother imprison him, deep within Tartarus. He swore revenge, that one day he will return and the world will fall to darkness. The blade then as you know, passed to Ouranos's son, Kronos."**_ Chaos then brought the blade up horizontal, with one hand on the hilt and the other on the blade. Chaos then snapped the blade in half as if it were a tooth pick. My mouth dropped open at the sight of an indestructible blade being broken with no effort. The blade then turned to ash and disappeared into thin air.

" _ **Erebus, unlike many of my offspring is clever, he knows that I'll be watching. He is being very careful, as to not spoil his chance. This is where the Ophiotaurus comes in. For a being of his power to rise from Tartarus it would take time, regular sacrifice and worship. He does not have the patience for this. The Ophiotaurus would speed up the process, but not fast enough for him. A deal has been made with Tartarus. Together, and at a great expense of Tartarus's own life force they have altered the very fabric of reality."**_ Many of the council, like me took up bewildered expressions. Not understanding exactly what that meant.

" _ **Tartarus, the great pit, is... well, no longer that. The enchantments and wards on the pit no longer exist. Any creature, mortal, immortal or monstrous can now freely walk from the Underworld into Tartarus. More importantly they can also walk back, including Erebus. He has cheated, bent the rules but not broken them. Had I been able to interfere, I would have."**_ The room darkened a considerable amount, and it reflected back onto the council. Zeus began massaging his temples whilst Poseidon put his head in his hands. Other members had looks of utter distress on their faces.

" _ **If Erebus is able to exit the Underworld and reach the surface, you lose. None will survive."**_ The hearth behind me, which had been slowly growing smaller and smaller almost entirely burnt out, none but a few coals remained alight, with a small flame flickering between them.

"So how do we stop him?" Percy called out. I looked up and saw his eyes full of fear, but his face showing none. Instead he had a grim but stoic and determined look on his face.

" _ **You cannot hope to defeat him through strength of arms. One will need to enter Tartarus and find the land of eternal night. There his chains rest. Erebus's shackles cannot be destroyed, I created them myself. He has hidden them away with his wife, Nyx. Your only hope is to retrieve those shackles and return with them in time. They are made for Erebus and no one else, they will not work on anyone else. All you need do is bring them into proximity of him and they will do the rest. It is your only chance."**_ Chaos finished gloomily. The room was silent for well over a minute as everyone sat trying to process the information. Eventually, after some time my father spoke up.

"Hermes, can you do it?" he asked turning to the God in question.

" _ **Unfortunately, he cannot."**_ Chaos interrupted. Chaos then slowly began turning around.

" _ **A god would be detected almost immediately. Nyx sees all in her realm. She would destroy you before you even got close. No, a demi-god must go."**_ She explained coming to a stop facing Percy whose head sunk in response.

" _ **She has never seen a demi-god before, and will be intrigued more than anything. You'll stand more of a chance than any other."**_ Chaos said lowering down to the floor in front of Percy. He turned his head and I saw him meet eyes with his father, a silent conversation happening.

"I'll do it." he announced clearly, breaking eye contact with Poseidon, who's face fell. He then turned towards me and whispered one word. _Nico._ Of course! Nico would regenerate in Tartarus. If he was back, we may be able to find him. Bring him back.

" _ **Do not fret, for I will guide you."**_ Chaos said before levitating back up and turning back to the council.

" _ **The fate of all balances on the edge of a blade. You have much to prepare Olympians, and very little time."**_ And then suddenly Chaos was gone. No flashing or dust or effects, not even a breeze. Just gone. I let out a massive gasp of air that I didn't even know I had been holding in. It felt as if the weight of the world had just been lifted off my shoulders and I could finally breathe again. A feeling mirrored by most of the council who let out their own sighs of relief.

The room sat in silence for a few seconds before Zeus snapped to attention.

"Hermes, Apollo, Athena... Gather them." Zeus called out standing from his throne.

"Who, father?" Hermes asked springing to his feet.

"All of them." Zeus replied.

Hermes eyes widened and he disappeared in a streak of blue. Athena disappeared in a flash along with Apollo.

"Wife, to the Amazons. Mars to New Rome. Artemis, to Camp Half-Blood. Hephaestus and Demeter, begin supplies." Zeus called out turning to each God.

"What's the destination father?" Mars called out now standing tall in full Roman Segmentata.

"The Underworld. You each have 24 hours." With that Mars, Hera, Hephaestus and Demeter all disappeared. Artemis stepped down from her throne and walked over to us. She put a hand out for both Percy and I.

"Brothers, marshal your armies." was the last thing I heard before we disappeared from the throne room.

We reappeared at the top of Half-blood Hill, next to my tree. It was the dead of night and camp seemed almost deserted save for a single light on in the big house.

"Come, Thalia we must hurry." Artemis said jogging down the hill. I ran after her followed closely by Percy. We headed straight for the big house bursting through the front door and into the hallway. We came face to face with Chiron, in his wheelchair with a cup of tea. He jumped in shock as we came crashing in.

"Lady Artemis, Thalia, Percy?" He called out in concern as he stabilized himself.

"Chiron, good, we have much to discuss, and not a lot of time." Artemis said walking past him and into the lounge. Chiron gave us a quick glance before following Artemis into the lounge.

Chiron listened intently as Artemis spoke, interrupting only once at the mention of the creator.

"This is all very sudden, but we will prepare. How long do we have?" Chiron asked his features seeming to age in seconds

"Tomorrow Chiron. All force must be ready and in the underworld within 24 hours." Artemis explained with a little sympathy.

"Very well. I will go and rouse the camp counsellors. My Lady." Chiron said before tipping his head and wheeling himself out of the room.

The moment the door closed behind Chiron Artemis's head snapped over to me. She looked me over a few times before looking over at Percy. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, something that normally happened when she was thinking deeply.

"Perseus, you should head back to your comrades, inform them of the situation. Thalia come with me at once." she stated bluntly before standing and striding out of the room. Percy shot me a look. I shrugged to him and followed Artemis out of the room.

Percy POV ____

I watched as Thalia walked after her mistress. She put one hand up over her injured shoulder as she walked out, throwing a glance in my direction before she disappeared around the corner. I let out a sigh. The last few hours had taken its toll. Nico was gone. Not dead, just gone, he could come back, I was going to find him in Tartarus. I hadn't seen Grover since the start of the battle, but I'm sure he was okay.

After waiting a minute or two I left the big house and trekked towards the cabins. I saw Chiron stood outside the Ares cabin with Clarisse, they were talking animatedly. I didn't disturb them instead fixing my eyes on the low wooden cabin.

I pushed open the door to the Hestia cabin and walked inside it was quiet inside, everyone was probably asleep. I debated whether I should wake everyone up or wait till the morning.

"Percy!?" a voice called out startling me. I turned to look and saw Bruce stood in a dark hoodie, jeans and sneakers.

"Bruce, are you alright?" I asked walking over to him. He gave me strange look before looking me up and down.

"I'm fine, have you seen yourself? You look like death." he said cracking a grin.

"Long day." I replied with my own small smile.

"Where's Nico?" he asked looking around the room.

"About that... I think we'd best get everyone up." I answered. Bruce frowned at me before nodding. He turned and walked to the closest door and knocked. I went to the opposite side and did the same.

In a few minutes everyone was awake and in the main room of the cabin spread out on the sofas, bean bags, the floor, others were stood leaning against the walls. They were all watching me intensely, word had spread quickly that something had happened, though none knew any details.

"I dunno how to break this to you guys, so I'm just going to say it." I said walking in front of the fireplace, so that they could all see me.

"A war is coming, as of tomorrow the entire camp is mobilizing out to fight this new threat." they all watched on in silence, unfazed by the news.

"I'll spare a lot of the details until tomorrow, we are fighting against an Immortal known as Erebus, he means to destroy everything and everyone. Nico was killed fighting against one of the Titans in his service trying to stop this from even happening. We failed. I'm not going to sugarcoat it, this is going to be hard. The hardest thing you'll probably ever have to do, and many of us may die doing it. You don't have to fight if you don't want, but know that if we fail, we'll all die anyway." I explained with a grim expression looking between their faces.

Many faces fell, others looked around at each other, having silent conversations. A minute or two of silence passed, backed by the crackling fire before anyone spoke.

"For Nico." One called out. A moment passed and the others started nodding. I felt a glimmer of hope ignite in me as I looked across the room to them all nodding.

"Yeah, for Nico."

"We all die someday."

"Sounds like it's going to be fun, better than training."

"The way I see it. If we fail, everyone dies, we may as well go out fighting for a chance." Bruce called out from the front earning a round of cheers. The cheering quickly died down and they all turned back to face me. I felt pang in my chest as I looked on.

"You're some of the best people I've had the pleasure of living with." I said smiling towards them. They all returned the gesture.

"We have an early start tomorrow, so I'd advise getting some rest while you can. But do whatever." I said earning some nods.

The group then split off in all directions, some heading off to their rooms, others gathering in groups around the sofas and chairs. I quietly slipped out and walked quickly towards the beaches, tears flowing out of my eyes. None of them knew what the wars were like, and I knew in my heart that I may never see many of them or any of them again. I had taken to memorizing each of their faces as best as I could, and if we survived this, I would make sure they were all remembered.

I reached the edge of the waters and dived head first into the ocean. It was cold, but it didn't faze me in the slightest. I swam out a few meters before sinking to the bottom and sitting on the floor. I sat for a while with my eyes closed, just enjoying the moment.

"Dad is proud of you, you know." I opened my eyes and looked over to my right. Triton was sat in the sand next to me, except he looked different. He wasn't wearing any armour or royal attire. He was wearing street clothes. I looked over at him, confused as to what he meant.

"He would be here to tell you himself, but he's raising the Atlantean army." Triton explained looking out into the dark waters.

"And I am too..." he said looking over at me. I felt my eyes widen in shock. I didn't know what to say, this was about the most human conversation I'd ever had with Triton.

"You're not bad, for a mortal." he said a smile crawling up his face.

"And you had to go and ruin it." I replied playfully. He started laughing and I joined him. We sat for a few more minutes in comfortable silence.

"I must go, I'm helping father and he'd miss me if I were gone for too long." he said after a while, rising to his feet.

"Be seeing you soon, Percy." he said before dissolving into an ocean current.

I whispered a silent farewell to my estranged half-brother before kicking off the sand and swimming back to shore. I resurfaced on the beach dry and walked back into camp to get some much-needed rest.

I walked past the pavilion and into the central green and started walking towards the Hestia Cabin, but altered my course when I saw Cabin 3 at the end of the row.

I walked over to my old cabin and up to the door and opened it. The cabin seemed to be made a new, with fresh sheets on all the beds. Many of my old things were still here like the Minotaur horn. Gods that seemed like so long ago.

I sat down on my old bed and took off my shoes, leaning back against the wall behind me. I sent out a silent prayer asking for help. I didn't care who heard it. A quiet knocking noise drew my attention. I sat up and looked around the cabin. I was alone in here. I scanned the room for the source but didn't hear or see anything. I shrugged to myself and sat back only to hear a knock a second time

I stood up and walked over to the door opening it slightly. I saw Thalia a step or two away from the door walking back towards the Zeus Cabin.

"Thals?" I called out quietly opening the door further. She turned around her eyes lighting up. She looked around before walking up to the door.

"Can't sleep." she said wistfully crossing her arms over her chest and rubbing her arms with a shiver. I opened the door fully and let her in. I walked back over and sat down on my bed, resuming my position against the wall. She closed the door behind her and walked in, taking her boots off and sitting on the bed next to me.

"What's wrong?" I asked looking into her electric blue eyes. She looked up into my eyes for a moment before looking down.

"What isn't..." she said with an exasperated grunt before leaning her head back against the wall and closing her eyes.

"Nearly everyone I've ever known is dead. Nico's gone, I haven't heard anything about Grover since the battle." she mumbled out. Her head slid down the wall and landed on my shoulder.

"For my entire life it has seemed like everything is crumbling down around me. I don't know how to keep going." she said. I felt her shaking slightly against my shoulder and a quiet sniffling sound.

"You're the only one left. All the others are gone now." she quietly cried out.

"And I'm not going anywhere Thals." I whispered out leaning my head on top of hers. We sat together quietly digesting the shock of the past day together.

I opened my hand palm face up infront of us. She tilted her head down slightly before she laid her hand in mine. I closed my fingers around it, giving it a gentle squeeze. Feeling a tear of my own roll down my cheek as I thought of all those who I had lost. The list was far too long, and Thalia would not be among them.

"I promise."

 **A/N: Much love, thanks for the support guys.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and be sure that things are about to get crazy.**

 **Leave a review if you wish telling me what you thought, what you liked and what you didn't, feedback always helps.**

 **xoxo**


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